Background
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and Tenascin-C (TN-C) have been shown to be involved in the metastasis of many tumors. The
Conclusions
Co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C was associated with poorer prognosis and was found to be an independent predictor of survival.
Methods
We investigated the expression of TN-C and MMP-9 in 103 pancreatic cancer tissues by immunohistochemistry and used statistical analyses to investigate the correlations of individual expression or co-expression of these two molecules with clinicopathological parameters and survival of pancreatic cancer.
Results
The expression of MMP-9 and TN-C were increased in pancreatic cancer. The co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C was also detected. The expression of MMP-9 and TN-C were correlated with vascular invasion, lymph node invasion, liver metastases and TNM stage. The co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C was significantly related to the pancreatic cancer metastases. The individual overexpression of MMP-9 or TN-C significantly decreased the overall survival rates. The co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C had the lowest overall survival rates. The co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C was an independent predictor of survival for pancreatic cancer patients. Conclusions: Co-expression of MMP-9 and TN-C was associated with poorer prognosis and was found to be an independent predictor of survival.