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[Collagenase 3 mRNA expression in squamous epithelial carcinomas of the oropharynx]
S Gottschlich1, R Koch, T Görögh
1Klinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Kopf- und Halschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Strasse 14, 24105 Kiel.
Background:
Metalloproteinases (MMP) are endopeptidases, which are able to degrade extracellular matrix. It is assumed that MMP play an important role in invasion and metastasis of malignomas. The expression of collagenase-3, also named MMP-13, was already detected in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, but the significance in the process of metastasis is still unclear.
Patients And Methods:
36 tumor biopsies of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (10 cases N0, 26 patients N+) and 12 biopsies of normal oropharyngeal mucosa were analysed with reverse transcriptase-PCR and Northern Blot for their mRNA-expression of MMP-13 and TIMP-1, the physiological inhibitor of MMP-13.
Results:
In 30 of 36 (83.3%) tumor biopsies a MMP-13-mRNA-expression was detected. In 9 of 10 (90%) cases with N0-status and 21 of 26 (80.7%) cases with N(+)-neck the mRNA-expression could be shown. There was no correlation between MMP-13-mRNA-expression and N-status. In 34 tumor biopsies (94.4%) a TIMP-1-expression was detected. MMP-13-mRNA was not detected in normal oropharyngeal mucosa.
Conclusions:
It seems that MMP-13-mRNA-expression is not a prognostic factor for metastatic behavior of oropharyngeal cancer and therefore not helpful for further decisions on the therapy.