LAUSR

320Background: Overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factors CtBP1 and 2 is common and associated with poor prognosis in ovarian, breast and prostate cancer. CtBP2 drives tumor progression through promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) activity. Frequent early metastasis observed in PDAC may depend on EMT and CSC activity, prompting us to investigate the prognostic significance of CtBP1/2 in PDAC. In parallel, we determined the oncogenic contribution of CtBP2 to PDAC utilizing a transgenic KRAS mutant mouse PDAC model (CKP) that incorporated heterozygous loss of the Ctbp2 gene (CKP2). Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using CtBP1/2 antibodies was performed on 69 cases of resected PDAC from VCU Health for the period 2005-16. Clinical data included stage (84% stage 1/2; 16% stage 3/4), initial CA19-9 level, and overall survival. IHC stains were assigned an Allred score (sum of intensity and proportion) by two independent pathologists with a scale from 0-8. ...