慢性炎症是胰管腺癌（PDAC）致癌的重要驱动因素。多项研究已经调查了环氧合酶-2（COX-2）在PDAC患者中的预后意义，但结果不一。核因子Kappa-B（NF-κB）、特异性蛋白质1（Sp1）和c-Jun被称为COX2基因的转录因子。这项探索性观察性研究调查了NF-κB、COX-2、Sp1和c-Jun的表达与PDAC患者的生存率之间的关联。我们使用免疫组化方法检测了PDAC组织中NF-κB（RelA/p65）、COX-2、Sp1和c-Jun的表达。这些蛋白的表达与PDAC患者的总体生存率（OS）和其他临床病理特征相关。我们从切除和活检中获得了53个PDAC标本。在PDAC组织中，这四种蛋白质的表达存在显著相关性。细胞质或核中NF-κB的表达（aHR = 0.31；95% CI 0.11-0.90；p = 0.032 或 aHR = 0.22；95% CI 0.07-0.66；p = 0.007）与PDAC患者的较好预后独立相关。COX-2、Sp1和c-Jun在PDAC患者中没有与预后显著相关。表达NF-κB的PDAC患者比其他患者预后更好，这表明炎症在PDAC中的作用比以前想象的更加复杂。

Chronic inflammation is a crucial driver of carcinogenesis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Several studies have investigated the prognostic significance of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in PDAC patients, obtaining conflicting results. Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), specificity protein 1 (Sp1), and c-Jun are known as the transcription factors of the COX2 gene. This exploratory observational study investigated the association of the NF-κB, COX-2, Sp1, and c-Jun expressions with patient survival in PDAC. We used the immunohistochemical method to detect the PDAC tissue expressions of NF-κB (RelA/p65), COX-2, Sp1, and c-Jun. The expressions of these proteins were correlated with the overall survival (OS) and other clinicopathological characteristics of PDAC patients. We obtained 53 PDAC specimens from resections and biopsies. There were significant correlations between the four proteins' expressions in the PDAC tissues. The expression of the cytoplasmic (aHR = 0.31; 95% CI 0.11-0.90; p = 0.032) or nuclear NF-κB (aHR = 0.22; 95% CI 0.07-0.66; p = 0.007) was independently associated with a better prognosis in the PDAC patients. COX-2, Sp1, and c-Jun showed no significant association with a prognosis in the PDAC patients. The PDAC patients who expressed NF-κB had a better prognosis than the other patients, which suggests that the role of inflammation in PDAC is more complex than previously thought.