Background: Matrix metalloproteinases are members of a large family of endopeptidases that participate in the extracellular-matrix degradation that accompanies cancer cell invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. The membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) gene has been reported in various cancers and is associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. This study examined the relation of the relative expression of MT1-MMP gene to clinicopathological factors and outcomes in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).
Methods: We studied surgical specimens of cancer tissue and adjacent normal mucosa obtained from 202 patients with untreated CRC. The relative expression levels of MT1-MMP mRNA in cancer and in normal adjacent mucosa were measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.
Results: MT1-MMP gene expression was higher in cancer tissue than in adjacent normal mucosa. The level of MT1-MMP gene expression was not related to any clinicopathological factor. Overall survival at 5 years differed significantly between patients with high MT1-MMP gene expression and those with low expression.
Conclusions: Overexpression of the MT1-MMP gene is considered a useful independent predictor of outcomes in patients with CRC.