Cited by 100Nutrition and Health in AgingMuscle Physiology and DisordersPancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research

Skeletal muscle fibrosis in pancreatic Cancer patients with respect to survival

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Judge, Sarah M, Nosacka, Rachel L, Delitto, Daniel, Gerber, Michael H, Cameron, Miles E, Trevino, Jose G, Judge, Andrew R·2018·JNCI Cancer Spectrum

Abstract

Abstract Background Cancer cachexia is a catabolic condition characterized by skeletal muscle wasting, consequent to tumor burden, which negatively impacts tolerance to cancer therapies and contributes to increased mortality. Partly because of the limited knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of cancer cachexia derived from human studies, however, the ability to therapeutically intervene remains elusive. The purpose of the current study was therefore to better define the phenotype of skeletal muscle obtained from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has one of the highest rates of cachexia. Methods Morphological analyses were performed on rectus abdominis muscle biopsies obtained from resectable PDAC patients undergoing tumor resection surgery (N = 20) and from weight-stable non-cancer control subjects undergoing benign abdominal surgery (N = 16). PDAC patients with a body weight loss of greater than 5% during the previous 6 months were considered cachectic (N = 15). Statistical tests were two sided. Results Skeletal muscle from cachectic PDAC patients had increased collagen content compared with non-cancer control subjects (1.43% vs 9.66%, P = .0004, Dunn test). Across all PDAC patients, collagen content positively correlated with body weight loss (P = .0016, r = 0.672), was increased in patients with lymph node metastasis (P = .007, Mann-Whitney U test), and was associated with survival on univariate (HR = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.04, P = .008) and multivariable analyses (HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.00 to 1.17, P = .038). Cachectic PDAC patients also displayed increased lipid deposition (2.63% vs 5.72%, P = .042), infiltration of CD68+ macrophages (63.6 cells/mm2 vs 233.8 cells/mm2, P = .0238), calcium deposition (0.21% vs 2.51%, P = .030), and evidence of deficient cellular quality control mechanisms (Mann-Whitney U test). Transcriptional profiling of all patients supported these findings by identifying gene clusters related to wounding, inflammation, and cellular response to TGF-β upregulated in cachectic PDAC patients compared with non-cancer control subjects. Conclusions To our knowledge, this work is the first to demonstrate increased collagen content in cachectic PDAC patients that is associated with poor survival.

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  1. [37]MacDonald EM, Cohn RD. TGFbeta signaling: its role in fibrosis formation and myopathies. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2012; 24(6): 628– 634. 22918531

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Authors
Judge, S. M., Nosacka, R. L., Delitto, D., Gerber, M. H., Cameron, M. E., Trevino, J. G., & Judge, A. R.
Affiliations
  • University of Florida (US)
  • University of Florida Health (US)
Corresponding author
  • Judge, Sarah M
  • Judge, Andrew R
Venue
JNCI Cancer Spectrum
Published
2018-07-01
Volume
2
Issue
3
Pages
pky043-pky043
ISSN
2515-5091 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2909386160
Cited by
91
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4
FWCI
4.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • JNCI Cancer Spectrum (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R01AR060209)
  • National Cancer Institute (R21CA194118)
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR001427)
  • V Foundation for Cancer Research (V2015-021)
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32-HD-043730)
  • Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL1-TR001430)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research
Keywords
cancer cachexia, skeletal muscle fibrosis, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, collagen deposition, weight loss, survival, CD68+ macrophages, lipid accumulation, calcium deposition, cell quality control, TGF-beta, inflammation, lymph node metastasis, gene expression profiling, cachexia therapy

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