About the Authors

Nicolai A. Schultz

nicolai-schultz@dadlnet.dk

Affiliations Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Department of Oncology Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Denmark, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Herlev, Denmark, Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Herlev, Denmark

Ib J. Christensen

Affiliation The Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, and Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Jens Werner

Affiliation Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Nathalia Giese

Affiliation Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Benny V. Jensen

Affiliation Department of Oncology Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Denmark

Ole Larsen

Affiliation Department of Oncology Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Denmark

Jon K. Bjerregaard

Affiliation Department of Oncology Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

Per Pfeiffer

Affiliation Department of Oncology Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark

Dan Calatayud

Affiliation Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Svend E. Nielsen

Affiliation Hillerød Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark

Mette K. Yilmaz

Affiliation Department of Oncology Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark

Niels H. Holländer

Affiliation Department of Oncology Næstved Hospital, Næstved, Denmark

Morten Wøjdemann

Affiliation Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Herlev, Denmark

Stig E. Bojesen

Affiliation Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Herlev, Denmark

Kaspar R. Nielsen

Affiliation Department of Clinical Immunology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark

Julia S. Johansen

Affiliations Department of Oncology Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Denmark, Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital at Herlev, Herlev, Denmark

Competing Interests

The authors declare that the study was supported by grants from “The Research Council at Herlev Hospital" and the “Joint Proof-of-Concept Fund, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Denmark”. Quidel provided the study with some of the YKL-40 ELISA kits. The study sponsors had no role in the design and conduct of the study; in the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. The authors had full access to all the data in the study and had the final responsibility for the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. There is no patent for plasma YKL-40 or IL-6 analysis for pancreatic cancer. Julia S. Johansen and Paul Price developed the monoclonal and the polyclonal antibodies used in the ELISA from Quidel. University of California, San Diego, USA has a patent regarding YKL-40 as a biomarker and receive royalties from Quidel. Julia S. Johansen does not receive royalties from UCSD, since she has donated all royalties to the “YKL-40 Foundation” which donate travel grants to patients with cancer. For many years Julia S. Johansen received each year some YKL-40 kits from Quidel without cost, but she also bought some of the kits from Quidel. There is no contract between Julia S. Johansen and Quiedel.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: NAS JSJ. Performed the experiments: NAS JKB NG JSJ. Analyzed the data: NAS IJC JSJ. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: NAS JW NG BVJ OL JKB PP DC SEN MY NHH MW SEB KN JSJ. Wrote the paper: NAS IJC JSJ.