RPSA as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker of Pancreatic Cancer

PDAC (Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) represents 90% of pancreatic tumors. The prognosis of PDAC remains poor at this time. Its management is based on surgery for early stages, associated with neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy. However, around 80% of patients will relapse after surgery. There is a lack of efficient biological biomarkers of PDAC, especially for prognosis. To date, CA19-9 is commonly used despite its lack of sensitivity and specificity.

Ribosomal protein SA (RPSA) is a transmembrane receptor localized at the cell surface but also in the cytosolic and nuclear regions. RPSA interacts with many proteins in the extracellular matrix (ECM), including laminin-1 and elastin. RPSA in involved in different cellular functions such as cell adhesion, migration, proliferation and differentiation. The expression of RPSA is increased in many cancers including breast, lung, prostate, pancreatic, etc. It could represent a molecular biomarker of tumor invasion and metastatic abilities. Moreover, the concentration of RPSA could be measured in the serum of patients with PDAC. Recent data suggest that a modification of the RPSA concentration could be a prognostic biomarker of PDAC.