Plasminogen activator system in human breast cancer.
We measured antigen levels of 2 kinds of plasminogen activator, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (UK), as well as those of their primary inhibitors, type-I plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and type-2 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-2), in tissue extracts from benign and malignant breast tumors. Tumor tissue samples from 40 fibroadenomas and 40 breast cancers were examined. t-PA antigen levels were the same in the 2 groups. Malignant tumors contained higher levels of UK antigen than did benign tumors. In the case of breast cancer, UK antigen levels of tumors with axillary lymph-node involvement were significantly higher than those of tumors without lymph-node involvement. PAI-1 and PAI-2 antigen levels of breast-cancer tissue samples were higher than those of fibroadenoma samples. PAI-1 antigen levels of carcinomas with lymph-node involvement were also significantly higher than those of carcinomas without node involvement. PAI-2 antigen levels, on the contrary, were higher in carcinomas without node involvement. UK, PAI-1 and PAI-2 antigen levels are potentially excellent independent factors for prediction of the metastatic potential of breast cancers.
Sumiyoshi
K
K
Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka-ken, Japan.
Serizawa
K
K
Urano
T
T
Takada
Y
Y
Takada
A
A
Baba
S
S
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010960:Plasminogen Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D015849:Plasminogen Inactivators / Q000378:metabolism*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000378:metabolism; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000378:metabolism
D015849:Plasminogen Inactivators; D010960:Plasminogen Activators; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator