School of Dentistry and Oral Health and Griffith Health Institute, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Southport, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Aust Dent J. 2010 Dec;55(4):385-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1834-7819.2010.01258.x.
Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue has frequent lymph node metastases and poor prognosis. Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) are reported to degrade basement membrane,facilitating invasion and metastasis. This study determined the expression of MMP-2/MMP-9 in primary tongue cancer with or without cervical metastases and analysed the significance of such expression in relation to the presence or absence of metastases.
Expressions of MMP-2⁄MMP-9 were detected by immunohistochemistry in 10 specimens of normal oral mucosa, 20 lymph node-negative tongue cancers, 41 lymph node-positive tongue cancers and their metastasized tumours in cervical lymph nodes.
MMP-2⁄MMP-9 expression was seldom found in normal epithelium. In lymph node-negative tongue cancer, 45% and 40% of these primary tumours were positively stained for MMP-2⁄MMP-9, respectively. Importantly, in lymph node-positive tongue cancer, 71% and 79% of these primary tumours were positive for MMP-2⁄MMP-9, respectively. Overexpression of MMP-2⁄MMP-9 was present in the metastatic lymph nodes.
Our results imply that MMP-2 and/or MMP-9 play an important role in invasion and metastasis in tongue cancer, and that analysis of MMP expression and/or activity in primary tumours may have a predictive value for the actual or potential presence of cervical metastases.
舌鳞状细胞癌常发生淋巴结转移且预后不良。基质金属蛋白酶-2（MMP-2）和基质金属蛋白酶-9（MMP-9）可降解基底膜，促进侵袭和转移。本研究旨在检测 MMP-2/MMP-9 在原发舌癌伴或不伴颈部转移中的表达，并分析其表达与转移之间的关系。
采用免疫组化法检测 10 例正常口腔黏膜、20 例无颈部淋巴结转移的舌癌、41 例有颈部淋巴结转移的舌癌及其转移灶中 MMP-2/MMP-9 的表达。
MMP-2/MMP-9 在正常上皮中表达少见。在无颈部淋巴结转移的舌癌中，MMP-2/MMP-9 在原发肿瘤中的阳性表达率分别为 45%和 40%。重要的是，在有颈部淋巴结转移的舌癌中，MMP-2/MMP-9 在原发肿瘤中的阳性表达率分别为 71%和 79%。转移淋巴结中 MMP-2/MMP-9 过表达。
本研究结果提示 MMP-2 和/或 MMP-9 在舌癌的侵袭和转移中起重要作用，原发肿瘤中 MMP 表达和/或活性分析可能对颈部转移的实际或潜在存在具有预测价值。
