Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science (Kaira K), Department of Thoracic and Visceral Surgery (Sunose Y and Takeyoshi I), and Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Oriuchi N), Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan; Division of Bio-system Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan (Kanai Y) Corresponding Author: Kyoichi Kaira, MD, Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, and Oncology Center, Gunma University Hospital, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan (Tel: +81-27-2208136; Email: kkaira1970@yahoo.co.jp)
CD98 has been described to play a crucial role in tumor progression and survival. However, the role of CD98 in biliary tract cancer remains unclear. We found that 36.7% of all patients with biliary tract cancer had a high CD98 expression. Statistical analysis using Spearman's rank correlation showed that CD98 was significantly correlated with L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1, r=0.562, P<0.001), Ki-67 (r=0.230, P=0.006) and CD34 (r=0.290, P=0.005). Multivariate analysis confirmed that a high CD98 expression was an independent prognostic factor for predicting poor outcome. CD98 is closely associated with tumor growth, biological aggressiveness, and survival of patients. With these data we proposed that CD98 expression is necessary for the development and pathogenesis of biliary tract cancer.
2014, Vol. 13 
