Differential expression of CCDC64B in pancreatic cancer.

Cancer is a leading cause of death and pancreatic cancer is among the most lethal cancers (1, 2). We mined published microarray datasets (3, 4) to determine in an unbiased fashion and at the level of the transcriptome genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of patients with pancreatic cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We found significant differential expression of the gene encoding coiled-coil domain-containing 64B, CCDC64B, when comparing pancreatic tumors to the tissue of origin, the pancreas. CCDC64B mRNA was present at significantly lower quantities in tumors of the pancreas as compared to normal pancreatic tissue. Analysis of human survival data revealed that expression of CCDC64B in pancreatic tumors was correlated with overall survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. CCDC64B expression changes may be important for the initiation or progression of human PDAC.