PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - A. DANIELE
AU  - A.F. ZITO
AU  - G. GIANNELLI
AU  - R. DIVELLA
AU  - M. ASSELTI
AU  - A. MAZZOCCA
AU  - A. PARADISO
AU  - M. QUARANTA
TI  - Expression of Metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Sentinel Lymph Node and Serum of Patients with Metastatic and Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer
DP  - 2010 Sep 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 3521--3527
VI  - 30
IP  - 9
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/30/9/3521.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/30/9/3521.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2010 Sep 01; 30
AB  - The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in sentinel lymph node and serum of breast cancer patients in order to evaluate their clinical significance and usefulness as diagnostic tumour markers. Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was performed on sentinel lymph node by immunohistochemistry while gelatine zymography was used to determinate the serum expression. The association of gelatinases with clinicopathological features, were analysed. Metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer patients and 34 healthy women were involved. Gelatinases expression were significantly higher in metastatic breast cancer in comparison to non-metastatic cancer and the control group both in the sentinel lymph node and serum. Results showed a statistically significant correlation between MMP-2 or MMP-9 and cancer familiality, MMP-9 and CA 15.3 levels, and MMP-9 and grading. This study suggests a clinical utility of these proteolytic markers in malignant tumour, growth, invasion and metastasis in breast cancer.