Einfluss von mononukleären Zellen der Leber auf die Entwicklung der Kachexie beim Pankreaskarzinom

The development of cachexia in patients with pancreatic cancer is a severe complication and has a poor prognostic impact for patients with cachexia [1, 2]. Nevertheless, only a little is known about the molecular pathomechanisms which finally lead to the cachexia syndrome. Recent publications indicate a central role of the liver in the development and regulation of tumor associated cachexia [3]–[5]. However, up to now no effort has been put on the examination and characterization of histopathological sections of normal liver in patients with tumor associated cachexia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the molecular changes in the liver regarding a clinical or histopathological correlate in normal liver sections of patients with and without cancer cachexia. Fifty sections of normal liver from patients have been stained for CD45 and CD68. Then the whole tissue section has been semi-automatically analysed, by counting the stained area of the complete section as a marker for invasion of mononuclear cells. All patients singed an informed consent for this study. The result of the analysis was then correlated with the clinical findings of the patients. As a result of this study we could demonstrate that in patients with cachexia there was a significant infiltration of CD68 positive cells in the liver, which correlated negatively with the nutritional status (Albumin) of the patients and positively with the inflammatory status (CrP) of the patients. This could mean that already normal liver tissue of patients with tumor-associated cachexia is infiltrated by immunmodulatory cells, which directly affects the clinical condition of the patient.