%0 Journal Article
%T Clinical significance of serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2) in gastric cancer
%A Barbara Mroczko
%A Marta £¿ukaszewicz-Zaj£¿c
%A Mariusz Gryko
%A Bogus£¿aw K£¿dra
%J Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica
%D 2011
%I Polish Histochemical and Cytochemical Society
%R 10.5603/4153
%X Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) is able to degrade type IV collagen, and thus plays a key role in the migration of tumor cells. MMP-2 activity is inhibited by its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-2). The imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may facilitate progression of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical importance of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 to that of classical tumor markers, namely carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC) by calculating the diagnostic criteria and estimating the levels of MMP-2, TIMP-2, CEA and CA 19-9 in GC patients in relation to clinicopathological features of cancer. We found that serum levels of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were significantly lower, whereas serum tumor markers were higher, in GC patients than in healthy subjects. Moreover, concentrations of TIMP-2 and CEA correlated with gastric wall infiltration, while CA 19-9 levels correlated with gastric wall infiltration and the presence of nodal metastasis. None of the proteins tested was found to be an independent prognostic factor for GC patients¡¯ survival. The percentage of true positive results of TIMP-2 (61%) was higher than those of MMP-2 (54%) and the classical tumor markers CEA (21%) and CA 19-9 (31%). The highest diagnostic sensitivity was observed for the combined use of TIMP-2 with MMP-2 (77%). The results suggest the greater importance of serum MMP-2 and TIMP-2 than of the classical tumor markers CEA and CA 19-9 in the diagnosis of GC. But this issue requires further investigation. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 125¨C131)
%K gastric cancer
%K MMP-2
%K TIMP-2
%K tumor marker
%U http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/fhc/article/view/4153