title: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression is increased in astrocytic glioma and associated with prognosis of patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Glioma is the most common type of primary central nervous system tumor. This study was aimed at investigating the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in astrocytic glioma samples and its association with clinicopathological characteristics as well as survival of patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Astrocytic glioma samples from 272 patients who had not received chemotherapy or radiotherapy were collected, in which matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression was assessed by immunochemistry assays. The association of staining evaluation results with clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed by appropriate statistical analysis. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to investigate the association between matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and survival of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression is increased in astrocytic glioma and associated with tumor progression as its expression increased from Grade II to Grade IV glioma (P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with glioma with higher matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression tend to have shorter overall survival time (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression was proved to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with astrocytic glioma (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirmed the overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and its association with tumor progression in astrocytic glioma. It also provided the first evidence that matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in glioma was an independent prognostic factor of patients, which might be a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target of astrocytic glioma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Tangdu hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 569, Xinsi Road, Xi'an, PR China. zhaojipei55319@163.com
authors.forename: Jipei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhenwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guodong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Shiming
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9