[Expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To study the expression of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2)in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma and to evaluate the relationships between the expression of TIMP2 and biological behavior of NPC.


METHODS
The expression of TIMP2 was observed by immunohistochemical technique in 50 cases with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 15 cases of Inflammation nasopharyngeal tissues.


RESULTS
The positive rates of TIMP2 are significantly higher in NPC than in Inflammation tissues (P < 0.05). The expression of TIMP2 increase significantly with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01), but had no relevant to the rise clinical invasion stage (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that TIMP2 may play a critical role in assisting carcinoma cell to degrade basement membrane to invade surrounding tissues and to form metastatic colonies in lymph node. Especially the unbalance in MMP2/TIMP2 has probably a prognostic value in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Department of Otolaryngology, Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital,Shenzhen, 518036, China. yllp20@tom.com
Li
L
Yao
Pingping
P
Liu
Xing
X
Lu
Fengan
F
Liu
D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
C560823:TIMP2 protein, human; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2; C522361:MMP2 protein, human; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2