Clinicopathological significance of ASC amino acid transporter‐2 expression in pancreatic ductal carcinoma

Aims ASC amino acid transporter‐2 ( ASCT 2) is highly expressed in cancer cells. However, the clinicopathological significance of ASCT 2 expression in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of ASCT 2 expression in pancreatic cancer. Methods and results Ninety‐seven patients with surgically resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were evaluated. Tumour sections were stained by immunohistochemistry for ASCT 2, K i67, CD 34 (to determine microvessel density), phospho‐ AKT (p‐ AKT ) and phospho‐mammalian target of rapamycin (p‐m TOR ) expression. ASCT 2 was expressed in 54% (52/97) of tumours. Statistically significant differences in patient age, T stage, N stage, lymphatic permeation, vascular invasion, K i67, and CD 34 and p‐m TOR expression were observed between tumours with and without ASCT 2 expression. Multivariate analysis confirmed that vascular invasion, ASCT 2 expression and K i67 expression were independent predictive factors for a poorer prognosis. Conclusions ASCT 2 expression plays an important role in tumour cell growth, and is a promising pathological marker for predicting a worse outcome in pancreatic cancer.