Expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in human pancreatic carcinoma and its clinical significance

AIM: To investigate the expression of MMP 2 and TIMP 2 in tumor invasion and local metastasis or as a prognostic factor in patients with pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS: The expression of MMP 2 and TIMP 2 was examined in 32 patients with pancreatic carcinomas and 10 normal pancreatic tissues by S P immunohistochemical technique. The results were correlated with clinicopathological tumor parameters. Survival analyses were made by using the Kaplan Meier method. RESULTS: The positive unit(PU) of MMP 2、TIMP 2 in 32 patients with pancreatic carcinoma were 56.3% and 75.0%, respectively; the PU of MMP 2, TIMP 2 in 10 normal pancreatic tissue were 20.0% and 10.0%. Expression of MMP 2 and TIMP 2 was significantly higher in pancreatic carcinoma than that in the controls ( P 0.05). Expression of MMP 2 and TIMP 2 was independent of sex, age, histologic grading and histologic type, but well correlated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM clinical staging (Ⅰand Ⅲ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ). There was a significant association between MMP 2, TIMP 2 and prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma, while no significant correlation was found between the expression of MMP 2 and that of TIMP 2 in pancreatic carcinoma. CONCLUSION: In human pancreatic carcinoma, MMP 2 and TIMP 2 may be involved in processes leading to the strong desmoplastic reaction. MMP 2 and TIMP 2 might be useful markers for biological aggressiveness of this malignancy and might contribute to the invasive properties of pancreatic carcinoma, which can be used to evaluate the prognosis of these patients.