Clinical significance and expressions of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in NSCLC

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 and their clinical value in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).METHODS:The expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were detected in 124 NSCLC,124 adjacent non-cancerous lung tissues and 10 benign pulmonary tissues by the immunohistochemical method.RESULTS:The expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in NSCLC were significantly higher than those in adjacent non-cancerous lung tissues and benign pulmonary tissues(P0.05).the expression of MMP-2 in squamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that in adenocarcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma(P0.05);the expressions of TIMP-2 in squamous carcinoma was significantly higher than that in adenocarcinoma(P0.05);the expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 in adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than those in squamous carcinoma(P0.05).In NSCLC,there were significant increases of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 along with the elevation of TNM grade(P0.05).Compared with the cases without lymph node and/or distant metastasis,the expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were significantly higher in the cases with lymph node and/or distant metastasis(P0.05).The expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were related to the histological differentiation(P0.05).The expression of MMP-9 in women was higher than that in men(P0.05).The expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 had a significantly positive correlation with each other(P0.05).CONCLUSIONS:MMP-2,MMP-9,TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 are participated in the carcinogenesis of NSCLC.They have close relations with the pathological characteristics of NSCLC and might have important prognosis for NSCLC.