A RATIO BETWEEN PLGF AND SFLT1 IS PREDICTIVE FOR NEURAL INVASION IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM PANCREATIC CANCER

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method for identifying neural invasion in a pancreatic cancer patient, the method comprising the steps of: determining in a sample of a pancreatic cancer patient the expression level of PIGF and sFlt1; and calculating a ratio of the expression levels of PIGF and sFlt1, wherein the expression level of PIGF forms part either of the numerator or of the denominator of the ratio; characterized in that, a deviation of the ratio of the patient sample from a reference sample or a predetermined threshold value is indicative for presence of neural invasion of the pancreatic cancer in said patient. Preferably said deviation, when the ratio is expressed using the expression level of PIGF in the numerator, is an increase in the ratio of the patient sample compared to a reference sample or a predetermined threshold value and/or said deviation, when the ratio is expressed using the expression level of PIGF in the denominator, is a decrease in the ratio of the patient sample compared to a reference sample or a predetermined threshold value.