Background and objective: SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine) is a matricellular glycoprotein that modulates interactions between tumoral cells and the peri-tumoralstroma. SPARC induces proliferation and invasion in vitro, and is a poor prognostic factor in several gastrointestinal cancers. Herein, we evaluated the prognostic value of tumoral and stromal SPARC expression in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) after surgery.
Methods: We examined immunohistochemical patterns of SPARC expression in 110 resected BTC specimens and evaluated the prognostic value using prospectively collected data.
Results: SPARC was expressed in tumoral cells in 46 samples (42%) and inperi-tumoralstromain 65 samples (59%). Tumoral SPARC expression was not related to major patient characteristics. Stromal SPARC expression was related to lymph node metastasis, stage, margin status, and tumor location. Overall survival at 5 years after surgery was 34.2%. Stromal SPARC (P < 0.001) and tumoral SPARC (P = 0.048) were associated with poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis revealed invasion into lymphatic system, residual tumor, and stromal SPARC as independent prognostic factors. The hazard ratio for patients with positive stromal SPARC was 3.20 (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: SPARC expression inperi-tumoralstroma predicts a poor prognosis for patients with BTC after surgery.
Keywords: SPARC; biliary tract cancer; osteonectin.
© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.