AB057. SOH26AB_0371. Pancreatic tumour biomechanics are associated with pathological staging
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AB057. SOH26AB_0371. Pancreatic tumour biomechanics are associated with pathological staging

Aidan O’Dowling1, Brian Rodriguez2, Niall Swan3, Stephen Thorpe4, Tom Gallagher5

1School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 2School of Physics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 3Department of Pathology, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; 4Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 5Department of Surgery, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Background: Cell biomechanics play an important role in oncogenesis and cancer stemness. Stiffer pancreatic tumour cells have been associated with increased chemoresistance and metastatic potential; however, the impact of stiffness on pathological staging has yet to be demonstrated in any patient cohort. This study aims to characterise the relationship between tissue stiffness and pathological outcomes in resected pancreatic tumours.

Methods: Tissue samples from 15 patients undergoing pancreatic resection were collected, including tumour and adjacent non-tumour regions. Tissue biomechanics and collagen organisation were measured in pathologist-annotated regions of interest. Pathological staging was reported in line with international standards.

Results: Tumour gland stiffness was associated with pathological stage, with T2 tumours exhibiting a higher median stiffness than T1 tumours {172.18 [interquartile range (IQR), 80.63–351.76] vs. 31.21 (IQR, 20.30–67.47) Pa, P=0.006}. Nodal involvement was associated with increased non-tumour adjacent epithelium (NTAE) stiffness, with N2 cases significantly stiffer than both N0 and N1 cases [N2: 193.65 (IQR, 94.82–498.55) vs. N0: 64.16 (IQR, 35.01–107.87) Pa, P=0.0145, and N1: 50.09 (IQR, 27.28–74.95) Pa, P=0.03]. Cases with R1 resections were associated with stiffer tumour gland tissue than those where R0 resections were obtained [R0: 77.30 (IQR, 29.04–166.08) vs. 214.54 (IQR, 100.49–408.28) Pa, P=0.008].

Conclusions: For the first time, this research has demonstrated that tissue biomechanics is associated with formal pathological staging in resectable pancreatic tumours in this small patient group. In addition to tumour gland, NTAE tissues unexpectedly provided significant associations with outcomes. This warrants further research and indicates that the postoperative assessment of tumour mechanics may provide a route to improve patient outcomes in pancreatic surgery.

Keywords: Biomechanics; cancer staging; collagen; pancreatic cancer; tumour microenvironment

Acknowledgments

None.

Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab057
Cite this abstract as: O’Dowling A, Rodriguez B, Swan N, Thorpe S, Gallagher T. AB057. SOH26AB_0371. Pancreatic tumour biomechanics are associated with pathological staging. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB057.

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