Description
SMAD4 is implicated as a tumor suppressor since it is inactivated in more than half of pancreatic carcinomas and to a lesser extent in a variety of other cancers. The lack of SMAD4 expression is present in approximately 80% of cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, but rarely in endometrial (0%), colorectal (0%), ovarian (3%), lung (0%), breast (2%) adenocarcinomas, and malignant melanoma (4%). SMAD4is an important marker for confirming a diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma