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Assessment of cholecystokinin 2 receptor (CCK2R) in neoplastic tissue
Jyoti Roy1,2, Karson S Putt1, Domenico Coppola3
1Center for Drug Discovery, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA.
Abstract:
The expression of cholecystokinin 2 receptor (CCK2R, CCKBR or gastrin receptor) has been reported on a diverse range of cancers such as colorectal, liver, lung, pancreatic, ovarian, stomach, thyroid and numerous neuroendocrine/carcinoid tumors. Some cancers of the colorectum, lung, pancreas and thyroid have been shown to overexpress CCK2R in relation to normal matched tissues of the same organ. This reported overexpression has led to the development of a number of CCK2R-ligand targeted imaging and therapeutic agents. However, no comprehensive study comparing the expression of CCK2R in multiple cancers to multiple normal tissues has been performed. Herein, we report the immunohistochemical analysis of cancer samples from gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and thyroid cancer against multiple normal tissue samples from esophagus, liver, lung, pancreas, stomach, spleen and thyroid. These results show that CCK2R expression is present in nearly all cancer and normal samples tested and that none of the cancer samples had expression that was statistically greater than that of all of the normal samples.
Insights
Cholecystokinin 2 receptor (CCK2R) is found in most cancers and normal tissues. This study found no significant difference in CCK2R expression between tested cancer types and normal tissues.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Cholecystokinin 2 receptor (CCK2R) expression is reported in various cancers, including colorectal, liver, lung, pancreatic, ovarian, stomach, thyroid, and neuroendocrine tumors.
- Some studies indicate CCK2R overexpression in specific cancers (colorectal, lung, pancreas, thyroid) compared to normal tissues, driving development of targeted agents.
- A comprehensive comparative analysis of CCK2R expression across multiple cancer types and normal tissues was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comprehensive immunohistochemical analysis comparing CCK2R expression in multiple cancer types versus multiple normal tissues.
- To determine if specific cancer types exhibit statistically significant overexpression of CCK2R compared to all normal tissues.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on cancer samples: gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and thyroid cancer.
- Normal tissue samples from esophagus, liver, lung, pancreas, stomach, spleen, and thyroid were analyzed for CCK2R expression.
- Statistical comparison of CCK2R expression levels between cancer and normal tissue groups was conducted.
Main Results:
- CCK2R expression was detected in nearly all tested cancer samples and normal tissue samples.
- No statistically significant difference was found where cancer samples showed greater CCK2R expression than all normal samples.
- The study did not identify a universal overexpression of CCK2R in the tested cancers compared to all normal tissues.
Conclusions:
- CCK2R is broadly expressed in both cancerous and normal tissues within the studied sample set.
- The findings do not support the hypothesis of statistically significant CCK2R overexpression in these specific cancers over all normal tissues.
- This comprehensive analysis suggests that CCK2R expression patterns may not be a universally distinguishing feature for targeted therapies across all tested cancer types.
