Pleiotrophin and N-syndecan promote perineural invasion and tumor progression in an orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer

AIM: To detect the expression of pleiotrophin (PTN) and N-syndecan in pancreatic cancer and analyze their association with tumor progression and perineural invasion (PNI). METHODS: An orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer was created by injecting tumor cells subcapsularly in a root region of the pancreas beneath the spleen. Pancreatic cancer tissues were taken from 36 mice that survived for more than 90 d. PTN and N-syndecan proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and analyzed for their correlation with pathological features, PNI, and prognosis. RESULTS: The expression rates of PTN and N-syndecan proteins were 66.7% and 61.1%, respectively, in cancer tissue. PTN and N-syndecan expression was associated with PNI (P = 0.019 and P = 0.032, respectively). High PTN expression was closely associated with large bloody ascites (P = 0.009), liver metastasis (P = 0.035), and decreased survival time (P = 0.022). N-syndecan expression was significantly associated with tumor size (P = 0.025), but not with survival time (P = 0.539). CONCLUSION: High PTN and N-syndecan expression was closely associated with metastasis and poor prognosis, suggesting that they may promote tumor progression and PNI in the orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer.