A comprehensive proteomic dataset of secretomes from primary pancreatic cancer cell cultures

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Early biomarkers for the detection and prediction of treatment response are sorely lacking. The tumour secretome, the set of proteins released by cancer cells, represents a promising source of biomarkers and provides insights into tumour biology, as these factors may be detectable in blood and suitable for non-invasive monitoring. However, most secretome studies have relied on established cell lines or mouse models, poorly reflecting human tumour heterogeneity. To address this gap, we generated a comprehensive proteomic dataset of secretomes from 48 low-passage, treatment-naïve, patient-derived primary PDAC cultures, which retain the molecular and phenotypic features of their tumours of origin. Across samples, we identified 4,204 proteins, including 793 shared by all cultures. Annotation showed that most of these proteins matched extracellular vesicle contents and canonical secreted proteins that may reach the circulation. Consequently, this dataset provides a valuable resource for the identification of circulating biomarkers and for comparative analyses of PDAC secretomes.