THE PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF GELATINASES (MMP-2 MMP-9) EXPRESSION IN COLORECTAL CANCER IN UPPER EGYPT

Aim: Prognosis of colorectal carcinoma depends on many factors, such as: age sex of patient-location, multiplicity, local extent and size of tumor-bowel obstruction or perforation as well as tumor microscopic type grade- vascular perineural invasion, nodal and distant metastasis. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes strongly implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis, hence in tumor prognosis. The purpose of our study was to assess the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in colorectal tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis , hence their prognostic values. Method: Immunohistochemical analysts of MMP-2 and MMP-9 glycoproteins in colorectal cancer cells, an immunohistochemical score based on the intensity of immunoreactivity and proportion of immunoreactive cells that established for each MMP and correlation of this expression with the established prognostic factors. Results: MMP-2 was expressed in 81.8% (strong expression in 40%) of cases, and MMP-9 expressed in 72% (strong expression in 35%) of cases. Conclusions: MMP-2 and MMP-9 are widely expressed in colorectal carcinoma suggesting significant diagnostic and prognostic values in these tumors. Increased levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein expression in colorectal carcinoma tissues as compared to normal tissues suggest their association with colorectal tumor invasion and metastasis