title: Elevated levels of circulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: Elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase have been implicated as playing important role in tumour progression in several types of cancers. Our aim was to determine whether these enzyme might be a useful tumour marker for lung cancer and also to evaluate the correlation of circulating levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) with tumour histology, staging, nodal status, metastasis and prognosis. Blood samples were collected from 35 nonsmall cell lung cancer patients who were diagnosed histologically, and 14 healthy controls. The MMP-9 levels were significantly higher in the cancer group (p< 0.001). However no significant correlation between several clinical features (such as histology of the tumour, staging, tumour status, or nodal status) and plasma MMP-9 levels have been observed. Though it does not show statistical significance, more patients with metastasis seemed to have higher MMP-9 levels. At the end of six month 11 patients were out of follow-up. Among the remaining 24 patients eight patients had lower MMP-9 levels, seven were survivors at the end of six months. Sixteen patients had MMP-9 levels above the threshold. Only 10 have survived to six months. In conclusion MMP-9 can serve as a marker for metastasis and can be valuable in the follow-up of lung cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Diseases, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, 06100 Cebeci, Ankara, Turkey. akaya@medicine.ankara.edu.tr
authors.forename: Akin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Banu Eriş
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Gülbay
authors.forename: Ozlem Ural
authors.initials: OU
authors.lastname: Gürkan
authors.forename: Gökhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Hacer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Savaş
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Savaş
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9