Relationship of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and-9 Expression to Gastric Carcinoma Invasion and Metastasis

Objective To investigate the relationship of the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-2(MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9(MMP-9) to gastric carcinoma invasion and metastasis.Methods Immunohistochemical staining was used to determine the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in 44 cases of gastric carcinoma.Results The levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in patients with serosal invasion or lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those in patients without serosal invasion or lymph node metastasis(P0.01).Conclusion The expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 is positively correlated with gastric carcinoma invasion and metastasis,indicating that the up-regulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression involves biological character of gastric carcinoma.Therefore,MMP-2 and MMP-9 may be the indicators to evaluate the biological characters of gastric carcinoma.