title: [Detection of serum total MMP-9 and its clinical significance for lung neoplasms].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the clinical value of serum total MMP-9 detection in lung malignancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum total MMP-9 levels were detected in 63 patients with lung malignancies by sandwich ELISA with monoclonal antibody against human total MMP-9.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum total MMP-9 was (92.2± 74.39) μg/L in lung malignancy group, which was significantly higher than that of healthy control [(9.5± 6.74) μg/L](P < 0.05). In lung cancer group, there were significant differences in serum total MMP-9 level between patients with and without lymph node metastasis, and between progressive disease+death group and complete response+partial response group. Significantly negative correlation was observed between serum CA242 and serum total MMP-9 levels (P=0.021).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Detection of serum total MMP-9 may be helpful to predict metastasis and treatment response of lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunopathology, Fujian Provincial Tumor Hospital & Fujian Provincial Cancer Institute, Fuzhou, Fujian 350014, P.R.China.
authors.forename: Zuofu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yunkun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xiandong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lin