title: Serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 level associated with stromal reaction in patients with gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) plays an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis. The relationship between serum MMP-9 levels and clinicopathological factors in gastric cancer patients is not clear.
  
  
  METHODS
  Preoperative serum was obtained from 170 patients who had undergone gastrectomy for gastric cancer at the Veterans General Hospital-Taipei. The serum MMP-9 level was measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay by monoclonal antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median serum MMP-9 level was 368.6 ng/mL (range: 43.9-1871.3 ng/mL). Univariate analysis showed that stromal reaction and Lauren's histological classification were two factors related to serum MMP-9 levels (p = 0.014 and p = 0.030 respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that stromal reaction was the only factor independently (odds ratio: 1.695) associated with MMP-9 levels. Patients with a serum MMP-9 level < 368.5 ng/mL had a tendency towards better survival rate (5-year survival rate: 64.4%) than those with > 368.5 ng/mL (58.5%), but this tendency did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.512).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggests that serum MMP-9 levels are associated with stromal reaction in gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Republic of China.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9