Search

Abstract Expression of the chromatin-associated protein HMGA2 correlates with progression, metastasis and therapy resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Hmga2 has also been identified as a marker of a transient subpopulation of PDAC cells that has increased metastatic ability. Here, we characterize the requirement for Hmga2 during growth, dissemination, and metastasis of PDAC in vivo using conditional inactivation of Hmga2 in well-established autochthonous mouse models of PDAC. Overall survival, primary tumour burden, presence of disseminated tumour cells in the peritoneal cavity or circulating tumour cells in the blood, and presence and number of metastases were not significantly different between mice with Hmga2-wildtype or Hmga2-deficient tumours. Treatment of mice with Hmga2-wildtype and Hmga2-deficient tumours with gemcitabine did not uncover a significant impact of Hmga2-deficiency on gemcitabine sensitivity. Hmga1 and Hmga2 overlap in their expression in both human and murine PDAC, however knockdown of Hmga1 in Hmga2-deficient cancer cells also did not decrease metastatic ability. Thus, Hmga2 remains a prognostic marker which identifies a metastatic cancer cell state in primary PDAC, however Hmga2 has limited if any direct functional impact on PDAC progression and therapy resistance.

Aggressive angiomyxoma of vulva (AAM) is a very rare, slow growing, locally aggressive, and rarely metastasizing soft tissue neoplasm. Its preoperative diagnosis is often difficult. It has a high recurrence rate and requires prolonged follow-up. We report a case of a 36 years old female, who presented with a swelling on her left labium majus. Imaging studies could not confirm the diagnosis. She underwent wide local excision of the lesion and her final histopathology report was aggressive angiomyxoma of vulva. Patient has been in follow-up for the past four years with serial MRI without any recurrence.