Differential Expression of Histamine H₃ Receptor In Healthy, Preneoplastic, and Tumoral Pancreatic Tissue: A Pilot...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, with a mortality rate almost equal to its incidence, highlighting the urgent need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This pilot study aims to investigate the potential value of histamine H₃ receptor (H₃R) as a prognostic biomarker for this lethal disease. We analyzed the H₃R expression in PDAC using the RNA sequencing data set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (Pan-Cancer Atlas). In addition, H₃R protein levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 27 PDAC samples and compared with adjacent preneoplastic pancreatic tissue of the same patient, and with 10 non-related healthy pancreatic tissues. This preliminary study shows that the H₃R is barely expressed in healthy tissue. Interestingly, H₃R was detected in 96% of PDAC samples, and its expression in tumoral tissue was significantly higher when compared with its expression in preneoplastic tissue, and it was associated with a better prognosis in terms of overall survival. Present findings suggest that H₃R may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in PDAC. Future research aimed at elucidating the role of H₃R in PDAC biology and its prognostic value in larger patient cohorts is warranted.