title: Plasminogen activators and their inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer. Low content of type 2 plasminogen activator inhibitor associated with tumor dissemination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence suggests that plasminogen activators and their inhibitors play an important role in tumor spread.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we measured the antigen levels of urokinase (u-PA), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), and type 2 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-2), and cancer tissue (19 adenocarcinomas and 19 squamous cell carcinomas) and normal lung tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  u-PA, PAI-1, and PAI-2 antigen levels in cancer tissue were significantly higher than those in normal tissue (P < 0.001 in u-PA and PAI-1; P < 0.005 in PAI-2), whereas t-PA antigen levels in cancer tissue were significantly lower than those in normal tissue (P < 0.005). In case with lymph node involvement (LN+ cases), PAI-2 antigen levels were significantly lower than those in cases without lymph node involvement (LN- cases) (P < 0.02), whereas there was no difference in either u-PA or PAI-1 antigen levels between these two groups. Furthermore, u-PA antigen levels showed a significant positive correlation with PAI-2 antigen levels in LN- cases (r = 0.696; P < 0.005), although there was no correlation between these two parameters in LN+ cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The antigen levels of u-PA, PAI-1, and PAI-2 in cancer tissue were significantly higher than those in normal tissue, and lower content of PAI-2 was associated with lymph node metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hamamatsu University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takada
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000737:chemistry*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000032:analysis*; D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2 / Q000032:analysis*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000032:analysis*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator