Materials and methods
Patients
Pancreatic cancer specimens were obtained from patients who underwent surgical resection for clinical treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma during 2004–2010 in the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, China. Experienced pathologists provided detailed patho- logical diagnosis according to the UICC TNM classifica- tion standards. The patients with pathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent surgical resection without preoperative radiation or che- motherapy were used to examine PSMA expression by immunohistochemistry and real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Normal pancreatic tissues were obtained from patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy for diseases other than pancreatic cancer. The follow-up information was obtained either from the electronic medical record and/or hospital
tumor registry. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from each patient.