Identifikation von immunhistochemischen Biomarkern für die Diagnose von Pankreaskarzinomen

Immunhistochemical markers for discrimination between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

by Freya Margot Magdalena Thöle
Doctoral thesis
Date of Examination:2026-01-16
Date of issue:2025-12-10
Advisor:Dr. Ann-Kathrin Gersmann
Referee:Prof. Dr. Philipp Ströbel
Referee:Prof. Dr. Volker Ellenrieder
Persistent Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-11671

 

 

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Abstract

English

The distinction between pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is clinically important, as it significantly influences therapeutic decisions, including surgical and adjuvant strategies. Currently, no immunohistochemical biomarkers offer sufficient sensitivity and specificity to reliably differentiate between these tumor entities. Therefore, we conducted an immunohistochemical comparison of PDAC and CCA based on three different biomarkers. In this study, three proteins—Cathepsin E (CTSE), SH2 Domain Containing 7 (SH2D7), and S100 calcium-binding protein A10 (S100A10) were selected from proteomic data because they were described as moderately to highly expressed in PDAC. For a comparison of PDAC and CCA, immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays including around 531 PDAC and 70 CCA samples was performed. CTSE showed positive immunoreactivity in 69.1% of PDAC cases and 25.9% of CCA cases. SH2D7 expression was observed in 18% of PDAC cases, but only in 1.7% of CCA cases. S100A10 was detected in 92.5% of PDAC and 77.8% of CCA samples. Comparative H-score analysis revealed statistically significant differences for CTSE, S100A10 and SH2D7 between PDAC and CCA. Although H-score analysis revealed statistically significant differences for CTSE and S100A10 between PDAC and CCA, the practical diagnostic value of these markers in routine clinical settings appears to be limited. SH2D7, in particular, demonstrated low sensitivity for PDAC but may still represent a valuable biomarker for differentiating PDAC from CCA due to its high specificity.
Keywords: immunohistochemistry; Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; immunohistochemistry