Neurotensin receptors: a new marker for human ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma

摘要

Background/Aims—New imaging possibilities forearly diagnosis of the devastating exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinomaswould be highly welcome. Recently, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours have been successfully visualised in vivo on the basis of their highdensity of receptors for the regulatory peptide somatostatin. Unfortunately, exocrine pancreatic tumours do not express sufficient amounts of somatostatin receptors. Therefore overexpression of other regulatory peptide receptors in these tumours needs to be found. 
Methods—Receptors for the regulatory peptideneurotensin were evaluated in vitro by receptor autoradiography in 24 ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas, 20 endocrine pancreatic cancers, 18cases of chronic pancreatitis, and 10 normal pancreatic glands. 
Results—Some 75% of all ductal pancreaticadenocarcinomas, most of them differentiated, were neurotensin receptorpositive, whereas endocrine pancreatic cancers did not expressneurotensin receptors. No neurotensin receptors were found in chronicpancreatitis or normal pancreatic tissues, including pancreatic acini,ducts, and islets. 
Conclusions—The selective and high expression ofneurotensin receptors in ductal pancreatic adenocarcinomas could formthe molecular basis for potential clinical applications, such as in vivo neurotensin receptor scintigraphy for early tumour diagnosis, radiotherapy with radiolabelled neurotensin analogues, and chemotherapy with neurotensin receptor antagonists.