Matrix metalloproteinases have been implicated in
tumor progression.
Matrilysin is one of the
matrix metalloproteinases and is frequently overexpressed in
gastrointestinal cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of
matrilysin as a prognostic marker of
colorectal cancers.
Matrilysin expression was immunohistochemically analyzed using
formalin-fixed,
paraffin-embedded specimens from 113
colorectal cancer patients who had undergone curative surgery. The lumenal surface of neoplastic glands in the superficial layer was apically stained, while the cytoplasm of
cancer cells at the invasive front was diffusely stained for
matrilysin. Sections with immunostaining signals in more than 30% of
carcinoma cells at the invasive front, which were observed in 47(42%) cases, were judged as being positive for
matrilysin.
Matrilysin positivity was significantly correlated with the depth of invasion,
lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, advanced Dukes' stage, and poor outcome. Patients with
matrilysin-positive
cancer had a significantly shorter overall survival time than those with
matrilysin-negative
cancer. For patients with intermediate invasive
tumor(T2 or T3), only
matrilysin was a significant prognostic variable for predicting overall survival in multivariate analysis.
Matrilysin expression at the invasive front could be an important marker, predicting an unfavorable prognosis after surgical treatment in patients with
colorectal cancer.