Clinicopathologic significance of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 levels in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Increased in plasma pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9 levels in patients with advanced stage NPC were observed. Plasma pro-MMP2 is a significant independent prognostic marker for undifferentiated NPC. Aim. Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) expression is observed in many cancers and high level of these proteins are found in peripheral blood of many cancer patients. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the plasma pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9 pro-enzymes (pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9) levels and their clinical significances in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods. The plasma pro-MMP2 and pro-MMP9 levels were measured in 40 NPC patients and 40 normal individuals by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay. Results. By using the Cox-regression model, a high pro-MMP2 level was found to be significantly correlated with poorer survival. Patients with plasma pro-MMP2 below 650 ng/ml had higher 5-year survival rate of 89%, compared with 50% for patients with plasma pro-MMP2 above 650 ng/ml. Conclusions. A high level of plasma pro-MMP2 was associated with poor survival of NPC patients independent of sex, age and stage.