The expression of urokinase type plasminogen activator is a novel prognostic factor in dukes B and C colorectal cancer.

Urokinase type plasminogen activator (u-PA) secreted by cancer cells is considered to play a key role in promoting invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. This study was designed to evaluate the expression and prognostic value of u-PA in Dukes B and C colorectal cancer. u-PA expression was investigated in 57 Dukes B or C colorectal cancers using a monoclonal antibody against u-PA. u-PA expression was mainly observed on the cytoplasm of cancer cells, and was associated with relapse, especially hematogenous metastasis (p=0.025, the chi2 test). Patients with high u-PA expression had a lower rate of DFS (9/22 events) compared to those with low u-PA expression (6/35 events) (p=0.061, log-rank test). This study demonstrated that u-PA expression might be a novel prognostic factor in Dukes B and C colorectal cancer.