Transmembrane serine protease 4 expression in the prognosis of radical resection for biliary tract cancer.

Background: Recent advancements in biliary tract cancer (BTC) treatment have expanded beyond surgery to include adjuvant therapy, yet the prognosis remains poor. Identifying prognostic biomarkers could enhance the assessment of patients who have undergone radical resection for BTC.

Aim: To determine transmembrane serine protease 4 (TMPRSS4) utility as a prognostic biomarker of radical resection for BTC.

Methods: Medical records of patients who underwent radical resection for BTC, excluding intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, were retrospectively reviewed. The associations between TMPRSS4 expression and clinicopathological factors, overall survival, and recurrence-free survival were analyzed.

Results: Among the 85 patients undergoing radical resection for BTC, 46 (54%) were TMPRSS4-positive. The TMPRSS4-positive group exhibited significantly higher preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) values and greater lymphatic invasion than the TMPRSS4-negative group ( = 0.019 and 0.039, respectively). Postoperative overall survival and recurrence-free survival were significantly worse in the TMPRSS4-positive group (median survival time: 25.3 months not reached, < 0.001; median survival time: 28.7 months not reached, = 0.043, respectively). Multivariate overall survival analysis indicated TMPRSS4 positivity, pT3/T4, and resection status R1 were independently associated with poor prognosis ( = 0.032, 0.035 and 0.030, respectively). TMPRSS4 positivity correlated with preoperative CA19-9 values ≥ 37 U/mL and pathological tumor size ≥ 30 mm ( = 0.016 and 0.038, respectively).

Conclusion: TMPRSS4 is a potential prognostic biomarker of radical resection for BTC.