title: Role of lipocalin 2 and its complex with matrix metalloproteinase-9 in oral cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent evidence demonstrated that lipocalin (LCN)2 is induced in many types of human cancer, while the detection of its complex with matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is correlated with the cancer disease status. We attempted to evaluate plasma expressions of LCN2, MMP-9, and their complex (LCN2/MMP-9) during the diagnostic work-up of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and investigated their correlations with disease progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 195 patients with OSCC and 81 healthy controls were recruited. Expression levels of LCN2, MMP-9, and LCN2/MMP-9 were determined with immunoenzymatic assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with OSCC exhibited significantly higher levels of LCN2, MMP-9, and LCN2/MMP-9 compared with healthy controls (LCN2: P < 0.001; MMP-9: P < 0.001; LCN2/MMP-9: P < 0.01). Plasma levels of LCN2, MMP-9, and LCN2/MMP-9 in patients with OSCC were significantly correlated with each other and were associated with more-advanced clinical stages (P < 0.05) and/or a larger tumor size (P < 0.05), but were not associated with positive lymph-node metastasis or distal metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that plasma levels of LCN2 and the LCN2/MMP-9 complex may be useful in non-invasively monitoring OSCC progression, while supporting their potential role as biomarkers of oral cancer disease status.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tseng
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D001114:Areca; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000556:secondary; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins / Q000097:blood*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011485:Protein Binding; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012907:Smoking
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C489506:LCN2 protein, human; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9