title: Significance of plasminogen-activation system in the formation of macroscopic types and invasion in esophageal carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The roles of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in the formation of macroscopic types and invasion were investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 40 surgically-resected esophageal carcinoma tissues were immunohistochemically stained, and the expression of uPA, PAI-1 and the uPA/PAI-1 ratio, were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression of uPA was significantly stronger in the macroscopically infiltrative type (n = 20: p = 0.0027), whereas PAI-1 was significantly stronger in the localized type (n = 20: p = 0.0005). The uPA/PAI-1 ratio was significantly higher in the infiltrative type (p < 0.0001). A significant correlation was found between the U/P ratio and the depth of tumor invasion (r = 0.511, p = 0.0014). Analysis of tumors of uniform size (4.0-6.0 cm in length), showed that the depth of invasion was significantly greater in the infiltrative type (p = 0.0038).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrated that uPA and PAI-1 play important roles in invasion and formation of macroscopic types of esophageal carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1, Seiryo-machi, Aobaku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan. nomiya@rad.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takuma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nomiya
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyachi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matushita
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator