[Plasma PAI-1 levels in patients with various tumors with or without metastasis]

Recently, much interest has focussed on fibrinolysis in malignant tumors. In our previous study, we showed that t-PA antigen was significantly increased in plasma from patients with malignant tumors with metastasis. In our present study, we measured plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels in plasmas from patients with various tumors. PAI-1 antigen was measured by means of enzyme immuno assay in plasma from 64 consecutive patients with a variety of malignant tumors. Patients were subdivided into two groups, one with (n = 47) and without (n = 17) metastasis. In the group with metastasis except for lung cancer, PAI-1 antigen level was increased compared to age-matched control subjects, while in the group without metastasis, PAI-1 antigen level was normal.