MMP-1 and MMP-2 expression in uterine leiomyosarcoma and correlation with different clinicopathologic parameters.
OBJECTIVE
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been suggested to play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis because they degrade a wide range of components of the extracellular matrix. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-2 proteins in patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma.


METHODS
MMP-1 and MMP-2 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry from paraffin-embedded tissue sections in 21 patients with uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS). The immunohistochemical findings were correlated with different clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients.


RESULTS
MMP-1 was expressed in 86% and MMP-2 was expressed in 48% of uterine LMS. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between vascular space involvement and MMP-2 expression (P =.05) and between age and MMP-2 expression, with patients over 50 years old having significantly more frequent MMP-2-positive tumors than patients younger than 50 years (P =.006). The relationship between MMP-2 expression and tumor stage and recurrence disease did not reach statistical significance. A trend towards prolonged disease-free survival was observed in women with MMP-2-negative LMS compared with patients with MMP-2-positive LMS (P =.09). Furthermore, a univariate analysis revealed that early tumor stage (P =.0001), age at diagnosis less than 50 years (P =.02), and the absence of vascular space involvement (P =.04) were associated with longer overall survival.


CONCLUSIONS
The statistically significant positive correlation between MMP-2 expression and vascular space involvement as well as the prolonged disease-free survival rate in patients with MMP-2 negative uterine LMS suggest that MMP-2 plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Further clinical studies with larger numbers of cases need to be performed to verify these findings.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1 / Q000032:analysis*; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020781:Matrix Metalloproteinase 1