Impact of ABO Blood Types on Survival after Pancreatectomy for Pancreatic Cancer

Tadashi Kayashima, Masafumi Nakamura, Kenoki Ohuchida, Syunichi Takahata, Kohei Nakata, Naoki Ikenaga, Lin Cui, Shingo Kozono, Kazuhiro Mizumoto, Masao Tanaka

Department of Surgery and Oncology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/jct.2013.410A002                

Abstract

Background/Purpose: A recent genome-wide association study (PanScan) identified significant association between the ABO gene locus and the risk of pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze survival of pancreatic cancer patients who underwent surgical resection based on serotype-defined ABO blood types. Methods: In terms of ABO blood types and gemcitabine-based adjuvant therapy, we investigated the survival of 153 patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer at the Department of Surgery and Oncology,KyushuUniversity(Fukuoka,Japan). Results: Among the four blood type groups, the O serotype group (median survival time (MST): 47.9 months) showed the best prognostic outcome. The A serotype group (MST: 22.5 months) showed the second best prognostic outcome, followed by the AB serotype group (MST: 20.4 months). The B serotype group (MST: 15 months) showed the worst prognostic outcome when considering the MST after the surgical resection. Next, we examined the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine based on the ABO blood types. The A serotype group showed the greatest improvement in prognosis by adjuvant therapy with gemcitabine after the surgical resection. The other three serotype groups showed no significant differences in the prognostic outcomes between subgroups with and without gemcitabine therapy. Conclusions: The present data suggest the possibility that ABO blood types are prognostic factors for pancreatic cancer patients after surgical treatment and are also predictive factors for the chemosensitivity to gemcitabine of pancreatic cancer patients after pancreatectomy.

Keywords

Pancreatic Cancer; ABO Blood Type; Survival; Gemcitabine; Adjuvant Chemotherapy

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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