Clinical significance of matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

To evaluate the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its clinical significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).The expression of MMP-9 in 208 cases of ESCC was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and its clinical significance in ESCC especially the relationship with the clinicopathological parameters was analyzed.The percentage of positive cases for MMP-9 detected by IHC was 49.0%. MMP-9 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of cancer cells especially in the invasive front. Only weak expression was detected in the stromal cells and no expression in non-cancerous mucosa. The expression of MMP-9 was positively correlated with poorer differentiation (P = 0.001<0.01), existence of vessel permeation (P = 0.027<0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.027<0.05).The expression of MMP-9 correlates with the cancer cell differentiation, vessel permeation and lymph node metastasis. It may be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.SCI(E)PubMed中国科技核心期刊(ISTIC)0ARTICLE6871-41