Mucin (MUC) gene expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma and chronic pancreatitis: a potential role of MUC4 as a tumor marker of diagnostic significance.

Abstract

Overall, this work demonstrates that pancreatic mucin MUC4 is a tumor-associated mucin. Furthermore, the present study introduces a novel avenue to discriminate between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and pancreatitis. Future investigations of the role played by MUC4 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma may prove to be useful in the formulation of strategies for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of this malignancy.