Combination of strong MMP-2 and weak TIMP-2 immunostainings is a significant prognostic factor in endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 protein immunoreactivities on the prognosis in endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 225 primary endometrioid adenocarcinomas and 13 histologies other than endometrioid adenocarcinoma were immunohistochemically stained for MMP-2 and TIMP-2. RESULTS: In Kaplan-Meier analysis, the 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of the endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients with negative MMP-2 and positive TIMP-2 staining was 100%, whereas only 78% of patients presenting with positive MMP-2 and negative TIMP-2 staining results were alive at that time. In Cox regression analysis, patients with positive MMP-2 and negative TIMP-2 immunostaining had a 4.7-fold relative risk of death from endometrial carcinoma compared to the group of patients with negative MMP-2 and positive or negative TIMP-2 immunoreaction. CONCLUSIONS: MMP-2 seems to be the main metalloproteinase determining the prognosis in endometrial carcinoma. Combination of strong MMP-2 and weak TIMP-2 immunostainings was the most potent prognostic marker for poor survival.