title: Serum type IV collagen-degrading enzyme in hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis.
abstract: The activity of serum type IV collagen-degrading enzyme was measured in 18 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The enzyme activity was significantly higher, in HCC patients with a tumor thrombus in the portal vein than in healthy controls, liver cirrhosis patients and HCC patients without a tumor thrombus. Moreover, the activity in HCC patients with lung metastasis tended to be higher than that in HCC patients without lung metastasis. The activity of serum type IV collagen-degrading enzyme did not correlate with tumor size, serum alpha-fetoprotein level, or macroscopic classification of tumor growth. These results suggest that the activity of serum type IV collagen-degrading enzyme represents the metastatic potential or the ongoing metastatic activity of HCC. The enzyme is a useful serum marker of metastasis from HCC.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000556:secondary; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D003094:Collagen