Membrane type-Imatrix metalloproteinase expression and clinical significance in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective:To order to improve the quality of life and survival rate of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients, decrease the mutilation rate and over-treatment, and look for suitable tumor markers that could reflect the actual laryngeal carcinoma invasion and metastasis, we studied the localization of membrane type Ⅰmatrix metalloproteinase(MT1-MMP) that can degrade cell matrix at the transcription level in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and the clinical significance of it’s expression. Methods: MT1-MMP mRNA of 50 primary laryngeal carcinoma tissues were detected by in situ hybridization, quantitatively analyzed their expression by image analysis system,and the relation to T stage, lymph node metastasis, pathology grade. Results: MT1-MMP mRNA localized predominantly in carcinoma cells cytoplasm with relatively weak stained in the stromal cells around carcinoma nest. The expression correlated with neoplasm pathology grade, lymph node metastasis and post-operation recurrence (P=0.000). It was valuable to predict lymph node metastasis, the right prediction ratios to pN+ and pN- were 95.5% and 60.7% respectively.Conclusions:MT1-MMP mRNA is expressed predominantly in carcinoma cells cytoplasm, it's high expression correlates with lymph node metastasis and neoplasm recurrence. It is one of good markers to predict neoplasm invasion and metastasis.