MMP-11 and VEGF-C expression correlate with clinical features of colorectal adenocarcinoma

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and has a high mortality rate, making accurate prediction of clinical prognosis an important concern. This study sought to investigate the expression of two proteins, MMP-11 and VEGF-C, in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues to provide options for better tumor detection. The correlation of the expression of these proteins with the clinical and pathological features of colorectal adenocarcinoma and with the invasion and metastasis of colorectal adenocarcinoma were assessed. Immunohistochemistry with light microscopy was used to detect the expression level of MMP-11 and VEGF-C in 78 samples of colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues and in 20 samples of normal colorectal tissues. Expression of MMP-11 in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues and normal colorectal tissues was detected in 55.1% and 30.0% of samples, respectively; VEGF-C was detected in 78.2% and 15.0% of samples, respectively. The expression of MMP-11 and VEGF-C in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues were not related to patient age, sex, or tumor location. However, expression was related to Dukes' staging and lymph node metastasis. Expression of MMP-11 was correlated with distant metastasis from tumors. Lastly, expression of MMP-11 in colorectal adenocarcinoma was positively correlated with VEGF-C. In brief, expression of MMP-11 and VEGF-C in colorectal adenocarcinoma tissues serves as a significant index for evaluating the degree of malignancy, clinical stages, lymph nodes, and distant metastasis of colorectal adenocarcinoma. The detection of both of these proteins may help predict the infiltration, metastasis, and prognosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma, and potentially offers new targets for clinical treatment.