The Expression of Interferon Receptor α/β in Human Pancreatic Cancer in Nude Mice is Essential for Tumor Response to Interferon α Treatment

BackgroundAdjuvant interferon based chemoradiation has rendered promising results against pancreatic cancer. This study evaluated the in vivo effect of interferon α on two human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines implanted in nude.Material and MethodsMiaPaCa-2 expressed the interferon α/β receptor and Panc-1 cells did not. Regimen I consisted of intraperitoneal single-agent gemcitabine and Regimen II consisted of IFN-α and gemcitabine biweekly for 30 d.ResultsRegimen I and II significantly decreased median tumor volume compared with control mice (P < 0.001). However, MiaPaCa-2 showed a more dramatic response to Regimen II compared with Panc-1 implanted mice. MiaPaCa-2 and treated with Regimen II showed less metastasis and less local invasion compared with Panc-1 treated with same regimen. Regimen II was more effective on MiaPaCa-2 compared with Regimen I (P < 0.001). There were no differences between Regimens I and II in the Panc-1 group.ConclusionsTreatment of human pancreatic cancer in nude mice with interferon α and gemcitabine was associated with a reduction in tumor volume. This process was more prominent in the cells that express the interferon receptors.