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Updated: May 13, 2026
Important Endpoints and Proliferative Markers to Assess Small Intestinal Injury and Adaptation using a Mouse Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Mucositis
Published on: May 12, 2019
Intestinal mucosal MMP-1 - a prognostic factor in colon cancer
Marcus Langenskiöld1, Marie-Lois Ivarsson, Lena Holmdahl
1Department of Vascular Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. marcus.langenskiold@vgregion.se
Objective:
There is evidence that transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in tumor invasion and progression in colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to assess their utility in prediction of cancer-specific survival (CSS).
Materials And Methods:
136 patients undergoing curative surgery for colorectal carcinoma were prospectively included. Samples were taken from tumor and tumor-free intestinal mucosa and ELISA was used to assess protein levels in the tissues. Patients were followed for CSS. The median follow-up time for all included patients was 65 months (range: 45-92). The main outcome measure was CSS.
Results:
T stage, lymph node involvement and high levels of MMP-1 as well as MMP-9 in tumor-free mucosa tissue were significantly associated with CSS in colon cancer in univariate analysis. This prognostic strength was maintained for MMP-1 and N-status in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions:
The results indicate that MMP-1 is independently associated with CSS in patients with colon cancer. Furthermore, a possible clinical implication is that MMP-1 protein expression in tumor-free mucosa could identify colon cancer patients with poor CSS in need of more intensified adjuvant treatment.
