Abstract
BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentration of proteolytic enzymes, MMP-2 and MMP-9, and their tissue inhibitors, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, in the blood of patients with benign and malignant pancreatic tumors. METHODS: MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were evaluated in the patients with benign and malignant pancreatic tumors before surgery and in the 30-day follow-up. The study covered 134 patients aged 54 to 76 years, who were divided into groups by TNM staging. RESULTS: Before the operation, the highest mean concentration of MMP-2 was found in patients with unresectable cancer, whereas the highest level of MMP-9 was in patients with resectable cancer. The highest level of TIMP-1 was noted in patients with inflammatory tumors. In 1 month following the operation, the highest level of MMP-2 was also in patients with unresectable cancer and the highest level of TIMP-2 in patients with inflammatory tumors. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the level of the studied cytokines in the pancreatic tumor patients can be diagnostically significant in the differentiation of benign and malignant changes. The changes in the levels of the studied enzymes and their inhibitors can have a prognostic value in the clinical severity of pancreatic cancer.