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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Induction of Invasive Transitional Cell Bladder Carcinoma in Immune Intact Human MUC1 Transgenic Mice: A Model for Immunotherapy Development
Published on: October 30, 2013
Expression of mucins MUC1 and MUC4 in curative resected gallbladder adenocarcinoma
Masako Noumi1,2, Michiyo Higashi1,3, Ikumi Kitazono1
1Department of Pathology, Field of Oncology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
Background And Aims:
Gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC) is associated with high mortality because of the difficulty in its early detection and treatment. Therefore, identifying prognostic factors is crucial for managing patients with GBAC. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between immunohistochemical profiles of mucin expression, clinicopathological behavior, and prognosis for curatively resected gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC) and to prove that mucin expression is a prognostic factor for GBAC.
Methods:
We examined the expression of mucins (MUC1, MUC2, and MUC4) using immunohistochemical analyses and compared the prevalence of each mucin with clinicopathological features in patients with early-stage (stage 0 to IIB) GBAC.
Results:
MUC1 expression was significantly expressed in patients with GBAC with lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, perineural invasion, and recurrence. MUC2 was significantly expressed in patients with GBAC with perineural invasion and recurrence but not with prognosis. Patients with MUC1-high expression exhibited worse prognoses than those with MUC1-low expression. In contrast, patients with positive MUC4 expression had significantly better prognoses than those without MUC4 expression.
Conclusion:
The expression of MUC1 and MUC4 in GBAC is an independent prognostic factor for survival and a useful marker for predicting the outcomes of patients with GBAC.
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