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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Nov 15, 2025; 17(11): 110704
Published online Nov 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i11.110704
Published online Nov 15, 2025. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i11.110704
Stromal secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine expression: A potential target for improved prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer
Hye Yeon Yang, Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon 16499, South Korea
Jae Uk Chong, Department of Surgery, National Health Insurance Services Ilsan Hospital, Goyang 10444, South Korea
Mi Jang, Department of Pathology, National Health Insurance Services Ilsan Hospital, Goyang 10444, South Korea
Sung Hwan Lee, Department of Surgery, CHA University, Bundang 13497, South Korea
Ho Kyoung Hwang, Woo Jung Lee, Chang Moo Kang, Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, South Korea
Co-first authors: Hye Yeon Yang and Jae Uk Chong.
Author contributions: Yang HY, Chong JU, and Kang CM designed the study and obtained the data; Yang HY, Chong JU, Jang M, and Lee SH analyzed data, interpreted the data and results; Yang HY and Chong JU drafted the manuscript and made equal contributions as co-first authors; Yang HY, Lee SH, Kang CM, Hwang HK, and Lee WJ revised the manuscript for intellectual content; all authors contributed significantly to and agree with the content of the manuscript.
Supported by Faculty Research Grant from Yonsei University College of Medicine, No. 6-2017-0155.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Severance Hospital, No. 4-2017-1029.
Informed consent statement: The need for patient consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chang Moo Kang, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, South Korea.
Received: June 16, 2025
Revised: July 24, 2025
Accepted: September 30, 2025
Published online: November 15, 2025
Processing time: 154 Days and 17.9 Hours
Revised: July 24, 2025
Accepted: September 30, 2025
Published online: November 15, 2025
Processing time: 154 Days and 17.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This retrospective study investigated the prognostic significance of stromal secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) expression in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. High stromal SPARC expression is associated with inferior recurrence-free and overall survival, particularly in patients without adjuvant chemotherapy. External validation using The Cancer Genome Atlas-Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma cohort further supported the association between unfavorable prognosis and high SPARC expression. These findings suggest that stromal SPARC may serve as a meaningful prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.