Comparison of the Diagnostic Efficiency of Radial- and Convex-Arrayed Echoendoscopes for Indirect Findings of Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Comparative Study Using Propensity Score Method

Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is useful for detecting early-stage pancreatic cancer. Because the detection of small lesions is difficult, it is important to detect indirect findings, namely caliber change, retention cysts, and dilatation of the branch duct, during the procedure. Although two types of EUS endoscopes are frequently used, there is no comparative study on their efficacy for detecting indirect findings. Therefore, we aimed to compare the diagnostic efficacy of these two types for indirect findings. We retrospectively analyzed 316 consecutive patients who had undergone EUS for pancreaticobiliary disease at a single center between January 2017 and December 2018. The main outcome was the detection rate of indirect findings and its comparison between the two echoendoscope types. This outcome was achieved using the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis. The detection rate of indirect findings was higher for the radial-arrayed endoscope than for the convex-arrayed echoendoscope (9.2% vs. 2.3% (p = 0.02)). The univariate analysis also revealed that the radial-arrayed echoendoscope was significantly superior to the convex-arrayed echoendoscope in terms of the detection of indirect findings (odds ratio, 5.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.68–21.10; p = 0.01) after IPTW. After adjustment for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), radial-arrayed echoendoscope remained an independent factor for indirect finding detection (odds ratio, 6.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.74–21.00; p = 0.01). Finally, five patients who had indirect EUS findings were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Our results indicate that the radial-arrayed echoendoscope is useful for the detection of indirect findings.

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Abstract TP74: Early Administration of Tissue-plasminogen Activator Improves the Long-term Clinical Outcome at 5 Years After Onset

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.47.suppl_1.tp74 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Junya Aoki ◽

Kazumi Kimura ◽

Yuki Sakamoto

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Plasminogen Activator ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Favorable Outcome ◽

Tissue Plasminogen

Introduction & Hypothesis: Data on long-term outcomes after tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy are limited. We evaluated the rate of favorable outcomes and mortality at 5 years after tPA therapy and investigated factors related to long-term clinical outcomes. Methods: Telephone interviews were used to assess the to the the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years after tPA therapy after written informed consent was obtained. When a telephone interview was not successfully accomplished, an interview letter was sent as an alternative method. Favorable outcome was defined as mRS 0-2, and unfavorable outcome was as mRS 3-6. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors associated with favorable outcomes and mortality at 5 years after tPA therapy. Results: From 2005 to 2013, 256 (median age, 77 [interquartile range, 68-84] years; 157 [61%] males) patients were enrolled. The onset-to-treatment time (OTT) was 153 (120-176) minutes. At 3 months after tPA therapy, the median mRS score was assessed as 3 (1-5). Kaplan-Meier curve showed that favorable outcomes after 5 years after tPA therapy occurred in 45% patients and that the mortality rate was 40%. Univariate analysis showed that OTT was 123 (107-172) minutes in patients with favorable outcomes and 155 (124-172) minutes in patients with non-favorable outcomes (p=0.046). In addition, OTT was 157 (133-172) minutes in the death group and 123 (106-169) minutes in the survival group (p=0.001). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that OTT was an independent factor related to favorable outcomes (odds ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.99, p=0.008) and mortality (odds ratio 1.04, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.06, p=0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that OTT ≥ 136 minutes was the optimal cut-off value to predict favorable outcome at 5 years after tPA therapy, with a sensitivity of 0.67, a specificity of 0.70, and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.662 (p=0.016), and that to predict death within 5 years after tPA therapy, with a sensitivity of 0.70, a specificity of 0.66, and an AUC of 0.679 (p=0.001). Conclusion: Early tPA administration can improves long-term clinical outcomes.

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Development of extracellular vesicles-based classifier for detection of early-stage bladder, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.3048 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 3048-3048

Author(s):

Juan Pablo Hinestrosa ◽

Razelle Kurzrock ◽

Jean Lewis ◽

Nick Schork ◽

Ashish M. Kamat ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Extracellular Vesicles ◽

Metastatic Disease ◽

Cancer Detection ◽

Early Stage ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Stepwise Logistic Regression ◽

Liquid Biopsies ◽

Cancer Early Detection

3048 Background: Many cancers are lethal because they present with metastatic disease. Because localized/resectable tumors produce vague symptoms, diagnosis is delayed. In pancreatic cancer, only ̃10% of patients survive five years, and it will soon become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the USA. For patients with metastatic disease, the 2- and 5-year survival is < 10% and ̃3%, respectively. For the few patients with local disease, 5-year survival is ̃40%. Many other cancers have comparable differences between early- and late-stage disease. It is apparent a diagnostic assay for early-stage cancers would transform the field by minimizing the need for aggressive surgeries and other harsh interventions, and by its potential to increase survival. Identifying cancer-specific aberrations in blood-based “liquid” biopsies offers a prospect for a non-invasive cancer detection tool. In the bloodstream, there are extracellular vesicles (EVs) with cargoes including membrane and cytosolic proteins, as well as RNA and lipids derived from their parent cells. Methods: We used an alternating current electrokinetics (ACE) microarray to isolate EVs from the plasma of stage I and II bladder (N = 48), ovarian (N = 42), and pancreatic cancer patients (N = 44), and healthy volunteers (N = 110). EVs were analyzed using multiplex protein immunoassays for 54 cancer-related proteins. EV protein expression patterns were analyzed using stepwise logistic regression followed by a split between training and test sets (67%/33% respectively). This process enabled biomarker selection and generation of a classifier to discriminate between cancer and healthy donors. Results: The EV protein-based classifier had an overall area under curve (AUC) of 0.95 with a sensitivity of 71.2% (69.4% – 73.0%, at 95% confidence interval) at > 99% specificity. The classifier’s performance for the pancreatic cancer cohort was very strong, with overall sensitivity of 95.7% (94.6% – 96.9%, at 95% confidence interval) at > 99% specificity. Conclusions: EV-associated proteins may enable early cancer detection where surgical resection is most likely to improve outcomes. The classifier’s performance for the initial three cancers studied showed encouraging results. Future efforts will include examining additional cancer types and evaluating the classifier performance using samples from donors with related benign conditions with the aim of a pan-cancer early detection assay.

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Abstract TP14: Predictors of Good Outcome after Endovascular Therapy for Acute Posterior Circulation Stroke

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.tp14 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Mehdi Bouslama ◽

Ashutosh Jadhav ◽

Diogo C Haussen ◽

Amin Aghaebrahim ◽

Leticia C Rebello ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Scale Score ◽

Endovascular Therapy ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Posterior Circulation ◽

Basilar Artery Occlusion ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Posterior Circulation Stroke ◽

Good Outcome

Background and Purpose: Endovascular therapy (ET) is increasingly utilized in acute ischemic stroke treatment and is now considered the gold standard approach for select patient populations. Prior studies have demonstrated that eventual patient outcome depend on both patient specific factors as well as procedural considerations. However, these factors remain unclear for acute basilar artery occlusion stroke. We sought to determine prognostic factors of good outcome after ET for acute posterior circulation stroke Methods: We reviewed our prospectively collected endovascular databases at two tertiary care academic institutions for patients with acute posterior circulation strokes from September 2005 to September 2015. Baseline characteristics, procedural data and outcomes were evaluated. A good outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 2 at 3 months. The association between clinical and procedural parameters and functional outcome was assessed. Results: A total of 214 qualified for the study. Smoking status, creatinine levels, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS), anesthesia modality (conscious sedation vs general anesthesia), procedural length and reperfusion status were significantly associated with outcomes in the univariate analysis Multivariate logistic regression indicated that only smoking (odds ratio, 2.49; 95% confidence interval 1.16-5.36; P=0.019), low NIHSS (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval 0.88-0.96; P<0.001), and successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3) (odds ratio, 13.65; 95% confidence interval 1.71-108.76; P=0.014), were independent predictors of good outcomes. Conclusion: Our study suggests that baseline NIHSS, smoking and reperfusion status are independent predictors of good outcomes after ET for acute posterior circulation stroke.

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Prevalence of vulvovaginitis and bacterial vaginosis in patients with koilocytosis

Sao Paulo Medical Journal ◽

10.1590/s1516-31802008000600008 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 126 (6) ◽

pp. 333-336 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ana Claudia Camargo Campos ◽

Ruffo Freitas-Junior ◽

Luiz Fernando Jubé Ribeiro ◽

Régis Resende Paulinelli ◽

Cleomenes Reis

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Bacterial Vaginosis ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Bacterial Colonization ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

P Values ◽

The City

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Empirical discussion regarding an association between koilocytosis and vulvovaginitis often occurs. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of microorganisms associated with bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginitis in women with and without koilocytosis. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analytical cross-sectional study including two cohorts of women (with and without koilocytosis) who attended a cancer hospital in the city of Goiânia, state of Goiás. METHODS: A total of 102 patients entered the study. The whiff test, Gram and Papanicolaou staining and bacterial and fungal culturing were performed. The results were observed using univariate analysis. The odds ratio and confidence interval (CI) of the variables were calculated; P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of bacterial colonization was similar in patients with and without koilocytosis. The odds ratio for candidiasis was 1.43 (CI 1.05-1.95) and the odds ratio for trichomoniasis was 1.78 (CI 1.49-2.12), in patients with koilocytosis. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of candidiasis and trichomoniasis seems to be higher in patients with koilocytosis.

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Continuous Aspirin Use Does Not Increase Bleeding Risk of Split-Thickness Skin Transplantation Repair to Chronic Wounds

Journal of Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery ◽

10.1177/1203475417697652 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 316-319

Author(s):

Yanwei Sun ◽

Yibing Wang ◽

Liang Li ◽

Zheng Zhang ◽

Ning Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Chronic Wounds ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Bleeding Risk ◽

Bleeding Complications ◽

Skin Transplantation ◽

Control Groups ◽

Thickness Skin ◽

And Control

Background: Discontinuation of aspirin therapy before cutaneous surgery may cause serious complications. Objectives: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the bleeding risk of split-thickness skin transplantation repair to chronic wounds in patients on aspirin therapy. Methods: A total of 97 patients who underwent split-thickness skin transplantation surgery of chronic wounds during a 2-year period were enrolled. They were categorized on the basis of aspirin therapies. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding and bleeding complications. Univariate analysis was performed to examine the association between aspirin and bleeding complications. Among the 26 patients taking aspirin continuously in group A, there were 5 bleeding complications (19.23%). Among the 55 nonusers in group B, there were 10 bleeding complications (18.18%). Among the 16 discontinuous patients in group C, there were 3 bleeding complications (18.75%). No statistical differences were found among the groups ( P = .956). Univariate analysis showed that continuous aspirin use was not significantly associated with bleeding complications (odds ratio, 0.933; 95% confidence interval, 0.283-3.074; P = .910 in the aspirin and control groups) and that discontinuous aspirin use was not significantly associated with bleeding complications (odds ratio, 0.963; 95% confidence interval, 0.230-4.025; P = .959 in the aspirin and control groups; odds ratio, 0.969; 95% confidence interval, 0.198-4.752; P = .969 in the aspirin and discontinuous groups). Conclusions: Continuous aspirin use does not produce an additional bleeding risk in patients who undergo split-thickness skin transplantation repair of chronic wounds.

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Number of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Procedures Required for Short Biliary Cannulation Time

Gastroenterology Research and Practice ◽

10.1155/2017/1515260 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Koichiro Mandai ◽

Koji Uno ◽

Yasutoshi Fujii ◽

Takuji Kawamura ◽

Kenjiro Yasuda

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Bile Duct ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Biliary Stricture ◽

Endoscopic Retrograde ◽

Biliary Cannulation ◽

Malignant Biliary Stricture ◽

Cannulation Success Rate

Background. Several previous studies assessed the competence in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using the bile duct cannulation success rate. However, the cannulation time is also important, because a long cannulation time was reported to be a risk factor for post-ERCP pancreatitis. Aim. To determine the number of ERCP procedures required for short cannulation time of the bile duct. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed 605 ERCP procedures performed for bile duct cannulation in patients with native papilla at our institution between March 2012 and December 2015. The successful procedures were divided into 2 groups: group L and group S (cannulation time>15 minutes and ≤15 minutes, resp.). An analysis of the relationship among the biliary cannulation time, ERCP experience, and other factors was then conducted. Results. Multivariate analysis showed that the ERCP experience of ≤300 procedures (odds ratio, 2.080; 95% confidence interval, 1.337–3.142; P=0.001) and malignant biliary stricture due to pancreatic cancer (odds ratio, 1.912; 95% confidence interval, 1.072–3.412; P=0.028) were found to be significantly associated with a cannulation time of >15 minutes. Conclusions. Our findings suggested that an ERCP experience of ≤300 procedures and malignant biliary stricture due to pancreatic cancer were associated with prolonged biliary cannulation time.

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Long-term survival in patients with pancreatic cancer: Relevant factors in CONKO-001.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2012.30.15_suppl.4020 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 4020-4020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marianne Sinn ◽

Bruno Valentin Sinn ◽

Jana Kaethe Striefler ◽

Jens Stieler ◽

Marco Niedergethmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Overall Survival ◽

Active Treatment ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Tumor Grading ◽

Term Survival ◽

Long Term Survival ◽

Relevant Factors

4020 Background: Long-term survival (LTS) in patients with pancreatic cancer is still rare, even in resectable and potentially curative stages. Few prospective data are available to identify predictive factors. The CONKO-001 study establishing adjuvant gemcitabine (GEM) may provide data to answer this question. Methods: CONKO-001 patients (pts) with an overall survival > 5 years were included in this analysis and compared to those with < 5 years. Central re-evaluation of the primary histology was done to confirm the diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Univariate analysis with the x²-test identified qualifying factors (p<0.10). Logistic regression with a stepwise selection process was used to investigate the influence of these covariates on LTS. Results: Of the 354 pts included in the intention-to-treat analysis of CONKO-001, 53 (15%) pts with an overall survival of more than 5 years could be identified, for 39 (74%) tumor specimens could be obtained. In 38 (97% of pts with LTS) the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was confirmed, 1 showed a high-grade neuroendocrine tumor. Relevant factors for all 53 pts with LTS compared to remaining 301 non-LTS pts in univariate analysis were active treatment (GEM) (68% in LTS pts vs 48% in non-LTS pts; p=0.006), tumor grading (G1 17% vs 3%, G2 64% vs 55%, G3 17% vs 40%; p=0.000), tumor-size (T2 15% vs 9%, T3 74% vs 84%; p=0.004) and lymph nodes (N0 47% vs 25% N1 53% vs 74%; p=0.003. Significance could not be demonstrated for resection margin (R0 vs R1), sex, age, Karnofsky performance status (<80% vs 80% vs >80%) and CA 19-9 (40-100 U/ml vs <40 U/ml) at study entry. In the multivariate analysis tumor grading (gr) (odds ratio gr 3 vs gr 1=0.07; gr 3 vs gr 2= 0.38; p=0.017) and active treatment (odds ratio GEM vs observation=0.38; p=0.004) were the only independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: Long-term survival can be achieved in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. In pts with completely resected pancreatic cancer, tumor grading and active treatment with GEM were the only predictive factor for LTS.

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Smoking increases the risk of surgical site infection after hydrocelectomy in adults: a retrospective cohort study in Brazil

The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries ◽

10.3855/jidc.9450 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 950-956

Author(s):

Thiago Silva Da Costa ◽

Paulo José De Medeiros ◽

Mauro José Costa Salles

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Surgical Site Infection ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Smoking Habits ◽

Site Infection

Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) following hydrocelectomy is relatively uncommon, but it is one of the main post-operative problems. We aimed to describe the prevalence of SSI following hydrocelectomy among adult patients, and to assess predisposing risk factors for infection. Methodology: This retrospective cohort study was carried out at a university hospital and included hydrocelectomies performed between January 2007 and December 2014. Diagnosis of SSI was performed according to the Center for Diseases Control (CDC) guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors. Results: A total of 196 patients were included in the analysis. Overall, 30 patients were diagnosed with SSI (15.3%) and of these, 63.3% (19/30) were classified as having superficial SSI, while 36.7% (11/30) had deep SSI. The main signs and symptoms of infection were the presence of surgical wound secretion (70%) and inflammatory superficial signs such as hyperemia, edema and pain (60%). Among the 53 patients presenting chronic smoking habits, 26.4% (14⁄53) developed SSI, which was associated with a higher risk for SSI (odds ratio [OR] = 2.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27 to 6.35, p < 0.01) in the univariate analysis. In the adjusted multivariable analysis, smoking habits were also statistically associated with SSI after hydrocelectomy (odds ratio [OR] = 2.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30 to 6.24, p = 0.01). No pre-, intra-, or post-operative variable analyzed showed an independent association to SSI following hydrocelectomy. Conclusions: Smoking was the only independent modifiable risk factor for SSI in the multivariate analysis.

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Autonomic nervous system dysfunction correlates with microvascular damage in systemic sclerosis patients

Journal of Scleroderma and Related Disorders ◽

10.1177/23971983211020617 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 239719832110206

Author(s):

Francesco Masini ◽

Raffaele Galiero ◽

Pia Clara Pafundi ◽

Klodian Gjeloshi ◽

Emanuele Pinotti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Sclerosis ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Autonomic Neuropathy ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy ◽

Nailfold Videocapillaroscopy ◽

Microvascular Damage ◽

Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction ◽

Cardiac Morbidity

Objectives: Cardiac autonomic neuropathy is among the known cardiovascular complications of systemic sclerosis and may affect the whole prognosis of the disease. The aim of our study was to assess cardiac autonomic neuropathy prevalence in our cohort of systemic sclerosis patients and compare its main features with clinical and epidemiological data, particularly with the severity of microvascular damage, as detected by nailfold videocapillaroscopy. Methods: Twenty-six patients with definite systemic sclerosis were consecutively enrolled at our outpatient rheumatology clinic. All patients underwent physical examination, nailfold videocapillaroscopy, and autonomic neuropathy diagnostic tests (orthostatic hypotension test, deep breathing test, lying-to-standing, and Valsalva maneuvers). Results: Cardiac autonomic neuropathy prevalence was 50% (13 cases). On univariate analysis, cardiac autonomic neuropathy was shown to be significantly associated with an active pattern on nailfold videocapillaroscopy (odds ratio 5.86, 95% confidence interval 1.59–9.24; p = 0.032), whereas anti-Scl-70 positivity (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.03–2.12; p = 0.049) and C-reactive protein (odds ratio, 19.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.79–56.71; p = 0.036) reached only a borderline statistical association. The time-dependent Cox multivariate regression model showed cardiac autonomic neuropathy development to be independently associated with an active pattern on nailfold videocapillaroscopy (odds ratio, 7.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.87–8.96; p = 0.042) and anti-Scl-70 positivity (odds ratio, 5.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–18.43; p = 0.048). Conclusions: Severe microvascular damage, as detected by nailfold videocapillaroscopy, may suggest the coexistence of autonomic dysfunction and should be considered as a red flag for the identification of patients particularly at risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality.

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Decreased Activity of Circulating Butyrylcholinesterase in Blood Is an Independent Prognostic Marker in Pancreatic Cancer Patients

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12051154 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1154 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eva Valentina Klocker ◽

Dominik Andreas Barth ◽

Jakob Michael Riedl ◽

Felix Prinz ◽

Joanna Szkandera ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Gamma Glutamyl Transferase ◽

Prognostic Impact ◽

Cancer Specific Survival ◽

Bche Activity ◽

Glutamyl Transferase

Introduction: The activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in blood reflects liver function and has recently been associated with systemic inflammatory response and tumor cachexia. As these conditions have been previously linked with pancreatic cancer (PC), the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of plasma BChE in PC. Methods: Data from 574 consecutive PC patients, treated between 2004 and 2018 at a single academic center, was evaluated. The primary endpoint was cancer-specific survival (CSS), analyzed by Kaplan–Meier curve, and both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional models. Results: BChE activity negatively correlated with other liver parameters (bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and C-reactive protein (CRP)), and positively correlated with albumin levels, respectively (p < 0.01). In univariate analysis, a low plasma BChE activity was a factor of poor CSS (hazard ratio: 1.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.129–1.754, p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, tumor stage, tumor grade, administration of chemotherapy, bilirubin levels and a low BChE activity (hazard ratio: 1.42, 95% confidence interval: 1.10–1.82; p = 0.006) were identified as independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Decreased activity of BChE in blood plasma predicts shorter survival time in PC patients. Therefore, BChE might be helpful in additional stratification of patients into different prognostic risk groups.

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