Expression of the MMP-9 and VEGF in Gastric Carcinoma and its Clinicopathological Significance

Objective To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-9(MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) expression in gastric carcinoma(GC) and their relationship to clinicopathological factors.Methods Immunohistochemical staining SP method was used to detect the expression of MMP-9 and VEGF in 97 cases of GC.Results The positive rate of MMP-9 and VEGF expression was 82.47% and 86.59% respectively.There was a significant correlation between the expression of MMP-9 and VEGF(P0.05).The expression of MMP-9 and VEGF in GC was not correlated with the gender and age of patients,tumor differentiation,histological type,size,location and lymph node metastasis,but significantly associated with the depth of tumor invasion and TNM stage(P0.05).Conclusion Both MMP-9 and VEGF contribute to carcinogenesis and progression of GC.Detection of the expression of MMP-9 might be served as an indicator for exaluating prognosis in gastric carcinoma.