• Journal of Digestive Cancer Reports
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2021

Although many guidelines for pancreatic cystic neoplasms focus on the management of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas (IPMN) at the highest oncological risk, there are many issues that surgeons need to consider at the time to plan the surgical procedures based on characteristics of IPMN subtypes, such as multiplicity of branch duct-IPMN (BD-IPMN) and intraductal spreading of main duct-IPMN (MD-IPMN). For multifocal BD-IPMN, partial pancreatectomy would be selected to remove BD-IPMN with predictors of malignancy, while the other lesions without risk factors can be left, although total pancreatectomy might be considered if the patients have a strong family history of pancreatic cancer. Partial pancreatectomy would be also adequate procedure for MD-IPMN if negative surgical margin for high-grade dysplasia or invasive carcinoma were achieved. It has become to be well-known that patients with BD-IPMN are at increased risk for developing not only IPMN-associated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) but also PDAC independent from the IPMN. Hence, the detection of a concomitant PDAC is also an important focus for strategies after resection of BD-IPMNs. Our recent analysis of patients after partial pancreatectomy for MD-IPMN with negative surgical margin identified an unexpected recurrence pattern, which we called "monoclonal skip" recurrence. MD-IPMN seems to be disseminated in the pancreatic ductal systems and MD-IPMN with identical genetic background was detected in the remnant pancreas even in a long time after index surgery. We proposed strategies of postoperative surveillance based on characteristics and natural history of each morphological subtype.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.373-376
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• 2015

Background: EVA1A (eva-1 homolog A) is a novel gene that regulates programmed cell death through autophagy and apoptosis. Our objective was to investigate the expression profiles and potential role of EVA1A in normal and neoplastic human pancreatic tissues. Materials and Methods: The expression pattern of EVA1A in normal pancreatic tissue was examined by indirect immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Protein levels in paraffin-embedded specimens from normal and diseased pancreatic and matched non-tumor tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: EVA1A colocalized with glucagon but not with insulin, demonstrating production in islet alpha cells. Itwas strongly expressed in chronic pancreatitis, moderately or weakly expressed in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm in pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma, and absent in normal pancreatic acinar cells. Although the tissue architecture was deformed, EVA1A was absent in the alpha cells of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, mucinous cystadenomas, solid papillary tumors and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Conclusions: EVA1A protein is specifically expressed in islet alpha cells, suggesting it may play an important role in regulating alpha-cell function. The ectopic expression of EVA1A in pancreatic neoplasms may contribute to their pathogenesis and warrants further investigation.