DIAGNOSTIC IMPORTANCE OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE 2 AND 9 AS ADDITIONAL BIOMARKERS IN THE SERA OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS.

Introduction: Tumor invasion and metastasis are the critical steps in breast cancer, leading to detrimental conditions. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 and 9 play significant role in progression of breast cancer by degrading type IV collagen. Therefore, the main purpose of the present study was to estimate the concentration of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the sera of breast cancer patients using zymography and correlate data with existing clinical parameters. Materials & Methods: Sera was collected from 70 breast cancer patients before surgery or who underwent surgery and 50 healthy controls and the activity levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were quantified by performing gelatin zymography. Statistical analysis was carried out by using SPSS statistical software (version 20) and Minitab (version 16). Results: The results show that average levels of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly higher in sera of breast tumor patients as compared to sera of benign breast disease and control group (p