698PA protein level signature of four selected genes associated with survival outcomes of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Compared with quantification of messenger RNA, a protein level quantification allows for more relevant clinical outcome predictions and the identification of potential therapeutic targets. The aim of this study was to identify a novel protein level signature that was associated with overall survival in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods Data of 105 patients with resected PDAC were retrieved from TRGAted. Reverse-phase protein array (RPPA) quantification data of 218 proteins were collected. By using the LASSO regression model, a protein-level-based classifier was built. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess the prognostic accuracy of the classifier. Survival curves were compared by using the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Using the LASSO model, we built a classifier based on four proteins: BAK, IGFBP2, PDL1, and BRAF-pS445. Survival analysis revealed IGFBP2 and BRAF-pS445 were two favourable prognostic markers, and BAK and PDL1 were unfavourable prognostic markers. Using the classifier, we were able to classify patients between those at high risk of disease progression (high-risk group) and those at low risk of disease progression (low-risk group). Progression-free survival was significantly different between these two groups (11.7 vs 19.9 months for high-risk and low-risk groups, respectively; P  Conclusions This protein-level classifier is a novel prognostic tool in patients with resected PDAC. It may facilitate individualized management of patients with this disease. Legal entity responsible for the study Jie Hua. Funding The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (grant number 81625016). Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.