Correlation between perineural invasion and clinicopathological characteristics in pancreatic cancer

Perineural invasion (PNI) is common in pancreatic cancer (PC) and is associated with poor prognosis.

To investigate the correlation between PNI and clinical pathological features in PC.

Patients were retrospectively divided into non-neural invasion and neural invasion groups based on PNI. Differences in tumor location, size, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level, overall survival, abdominal pain, pathological type, differentiation, and lymph node invasion were compared. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were performed, and a predictive model was constructed.

The neural invasion group had a higher proportion of tumors in the head, larger size, higher CA19-9 levels, lower survival rates, more abdominal pain, and more lymph node invasion. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and higher differentiation were more common in the neural invasion group. Tumor location, survival, and differentiation were negatively correlated, while size, CA19-9 level, abdominal pain, and lymph node invasion were positively correlated with neural invasion. Tumor location, size, CA19-9 level, abdominal pain, differentiation, and lymph node invasion were independent risk factors. The predictive model showed good consistency with actual occurrence rates.

Tumor location, size, CA19-9 level, abdominal pain, differentiation, and lymph node invasion are important factors in neural invasion and tumor progression in PC.