Molecular prognostic markers in recurrent and in non-recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer

The outcome and prognosis of ovarian cancer is highly variable. The objective of this study was to compare survival and clinicopathological prognostic factors with the expression levels of two matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and fibronectin as tumor invasion and metastasis markers in ovarian cancer patients.

Histologically-verified epithelial ovarian tumours from 27 patients were studied. The latent and the activated forms of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were measured as gelatinase activity from tumour extracts and from serum and ascites samples by a zymographic technique. The fibronectin content was quantified by immunoblotting and densitometric analysis. Molecular marker levels were correlated to clinicopathological parameters such as survival and disease recurrence during the median postoperative follow-up period of 30 months.

The levels of MMP-9 and fibronectin, but not those of MMP-2, were significantly higher in tumour tissues and in the ascites fluid of the recurrent patient group and the patient group who did not survive, as compared to the non-reccurent cases.

Our data support that high expression of MMP-9 and fibronectin indicate poor prognosis for ovarian cancer patients who have similar clinicopathological prognostic factors.