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. 2020;59(6):761-768.
doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.3748-19. Epub 2020 Mar 15.

ABO Blood Type and the Long-term Outcomes of Pancreatic Cancer

Yoshinori Tanaka  1   2 , Teru Kumagi  1 , Takashi Terao  1   3 , Taira Kuroda  1 , Tomoyuki Yokota  4 , Nobuaki Azemoto  4   5 , Yoshiki Imamura  1 , Kazuhiro Uesugi  3   6 , Yoshiyasu Kisaka  6 , Naozumi Shibata  7 , Mitsuhito Koizumi  1 , Yoshinori Ohno  1 , Kozue Kanemitsu  1 , Atsushi Yukimoto  1   6 , Kazuhiro Tange  1   4 , Mari Nishiyama  2 , Teruki Miyake  1 , Hideki Miyata  5 , Hiroshi Ishii  3 , Masanori Abe  1 , Yoichi Hiasa  1 ; Ehime Pancreato-Cholangiology (EPOCH) Study Group
Affiliations

ABO Blood Type and the Long-term Outcomes of Pancreatic Cancer

Yoshinori Tanaka et al. Intern Med. 2020.

Abstract

Objective The long-term effect of the ABO blood type on the clinical course of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) is inconclusive. This study aimed to determine whether or not the ABO blood type influences the long-term outcomes of PC in Japanese patients. Methods The medical records of Japanese patients with PC were reviewed. Data, including the age, sex, and outcomes, from the Ehime Pancreato-Cholangiology Study Group were analyzed. Results The mean age of the 406 patients was 71.0±10.5 years, and 220 (54.2%) were men. A total of 44.6%, 20.7%, 22.4%, and 12.3% had blood type A, B, O, and AB, respectively. The median survival time (MST) of patients with A alleles was shorter than that of patients with non-A alleles (p=0.048), especially among those who underwent resection (p=0.031). In contrast, no marked difference in the MST was noted among those who underwent chemotherapy and palliative care. Finally, a multivariate analysis confirmed A alleles as an independent factor associated with the long-term outcome of PC (p<0.05 in 2 different models). Conclusion The ABO blood type influenced the long-term outcomes of Japanese patients with PC, presumably due to its impact on disease onset and tumor behavior.

Keywords: ABO blood type; long-term outcomes; pancreatic cancer; tumor behavior.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors state that they have no Conflict of Interest (COI).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of long-term outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer between A alleles and non-A alleles according to treatments [entire treatments (p=0.048), resection (p=0.031), chemotherapy (p=0.757), and palliative care (p=0.532)].
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of long-term outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer between B alleles and non-B alleles according to treatments [entire treatments (p=0.625), resection (p=0.839), chemotherapy (p=0.784), and palliative care (p=0.683)].
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of long-term outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer between type O and non-type O according to treatments [entire treatments (p=0.063), resection (p=0.063), chemotherapy (p=0.719), and palliative care (p=0.905)].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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