Immunohistochemical detection of the beta4 integrin subunit in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

The expression of the beta4 integrin subunit protein in pancreatic cancer was investigated using routine immunohistochemical methods on paraffin-embedded archival material. Forty-eight cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were immunostained with a monoclonal antibody to the beta4 integrin subunit, and the extent of staining was compared with that seen in non-cancerous pancreatic tissues, including 15 separate cases of chronic pancreatitis and 6 sections from normal pancreas. We found that the beta4 integrin subunit protein was overexpressed in the majority of pancreatic carcinoma cases tested, whereas chronic pancreatitis and normal pancreas did not display substantial levels of expression.