Expression of MMP-7 in Esophageal Carcinoma and Clinical Significance

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of MMP-7 and biologic behavior in esophageal carcinoma.Methods Immunohistochemical SABC method was used to detect expression of MMP-7 in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.Results The normal esophageal squamous epithelium showed MMP-7-negative expression.MMP-7 was expressed in 43.4%(33/76) of tumor,mainly in cytoplasm and membrane of tumor cell,not in stromal cells.The expression of MMP-7 was associated with lymph node metastasis(P=0.02),clinical stage(P=0.006),venous invasion(P=0.003),and infiltration depth(P= 0.006),but was not associated with gender,age,pathological classification,and histological grade(P0.05).Conclusion Our results suggest that MMP-7 expression may play a pivot role in the progression of esophageal carcinoma and serve as an independent factor of prognosis.Routine detection MMP-7 expression may be useful for the prediction of treatment and prognosis in esophageal carcinoma.