Expression of gelatinases A and B, stromelysin-3 and matrilysin genes in breast carcinomas: clinico-pathological correlations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association among matrix m etalloproteinases (gelatinases A and B, stromelysin-3 (ST3) and matrilysin) mRNAs expressed in primary breast carcinomas and standard prognostic param eters and clinical outcome. mRNA levels were determined by Northern analysi s in samples of 81 breast cancer patients (median follow-up, 40 months) and 27 samples of uninvolved adjacent breast tissue. Proteases were expressed by the majority of the tumors and normal breast tissues examined, ST3, gela tinase A and matrilysin mRNAs were more often expressed at high levels in c arcinomatous than in normal breast tissues. Differences in the distribution of gelatinase B mRNA were not found. However, paired normal tissues genera lly produced weaker signals when compared to matched tumor samples. Univari ate analysis showed no significant association of gelatinase A and matrilys in mRNAs with the classical prognostic markers (age, menopausal status, sta ge, size, nodal status, vascular infiltrate, necrosis, steroid receptors, m etastasis and survival). Overexpression of ST3 was more frequently found in tumors of post-menopausal women (P < 0.022), Elevated expression of gel B mRNA was associated with the presence of vascular infiltrate (P < 0.026), n ecrosis (P < 0.039), PR negative tumors (P < 0.014) and inversely correlate d to the number of survivors (P < 0.021), Multivariate analysis including 6 8 patients for whom all information was available indicated that neither st romelysin correlated significantly with pathological, clinical or biochemic al features. High levels of gelatinase A and B mRNAs were inversely associa ted with the number of survivors, Our findings suggest that measurements of gelatinase A and B mRNAs expression in breast carcinoma may help to identi fy patients,vith an agressive form of the disease.