Correlation between MMP2 expression in lung cancer tissues and clinical parameters: a retrospective clinical analysis

BACKGROUND: Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) has been found to be related to malignant tumors; the aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between MMP2 expression in lung cancer tissues and clinical parameters of lung cancer. METHODS: The expression of MMP2 in lung cancer tissues and in adjacent non-malignant tissues was tested by immunohistochemistry. The correlation between the expression of MMP2 and clinical parameters of lung cancer was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The expression of MMP2 was higher in lung cancer tissues than that in adjacent non-malignant tissues (p = 0.002). Increased MMP2 was associated with low differentiation (p = 0.022), tumor size (p = 0.032), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001), advanced stage (p = 0.002). The post-surgical survival time in patients with high MMP2 expression was shorter than that in patients with low MMP2 expression (p = 0.001). High expression of MMP2 (p = 0.006) and advanced stage (p = 0.003) were independent prognostic indicators for survival of lung cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Increased MMP2 correlates with malignant biological behavior of lung cancer and it could be a potential biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.