Collagenase and protease activities in head and neck tumors.

An analysis of specimens of 43 head and neck tumors revealed that collagenase and protease activities paralleled each other and varied according to the anatomic site; highest activities were in tongues and tonsils, which are known to have low five-year survival rates. The greatest differences in both enzyme activities were observed in the studies of histologic patterns and tumor differentiation. The ulcerated tumors with inflammatory infiltrates having high enzyme activities suggest that collagenase and protease may be derived from inflammatory cells.