title: Clinical significance of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in patients with oral cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Factors that represent the potential for invasion and metastasis, such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), could predict prognosis of cancer. Therefore, the authors studied plasma and tissue levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in oral cancer, the leading malignancy in India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gelatin zymography were used for the MMP analysis from plasma and tissue samples, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Latent, active, and total forms and activation ratio of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly elevated in malignant tissues as compared with adjacent normal tissues. Activation of MMP-2 was higher than MMP-9 in malignant tissues. Activation ratio was significantly higher in malignant tissues of the patients with lymph node metastasis as compared with those without lymph node metastasis (p = .005). Plasma MMP-9 levels were significantly lower in responders as compared with pretreatment levels (p = .002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data indicate that MMP-2 and MMP-9 can be useful to identify metastatic phenotype as well as for treatment monitoring in oral cancer.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry Research Division, Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, Asarwa, Ahmedabad 380 016, India.
authors.forename: Beena P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Shakuntala V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Shilin N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Pankaj M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Prabhudas S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9