UROKINASE PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR - A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN BREAST-CANCER INCLUDING PATIENTS WITH AXILLARY NODE-NEGATIVE DISEASE

Citation
Mj. Duffy et al., UROKINASE PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR - A PROGNOSTIC MARKER IN BREAST-CANCER INCLUDING PATIENTS WITH AXILLARY NODE-NEGATIVE DISEASE, Clinical chemistry, 44(6), 1998, pp. 1177-1183
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Medical Laboratory Technology
Journal title
ISSN journal
00099147
Volume
44
Issue
6
Year of publication
1998
Part
1
Pages
1177 - 1183
Database
ISI
SICI code
0009-9147(1998)44:6<1177:UP-APM>2.0.ZU;2-C
Abstract
Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease causally in volved in cancer invasion and metastasis. In this study, high concentr ations of uPA in primary breast cancers were independently associated with both a shortened disease-free interval and overall survival. For the disease-free interval as endpoint, uPA was a stronger indicator of outcome than lymph node status, whereas for overall survival, nodal s tatus was stronger than uPA. In patients without metastasis to axillar y nodes, uPA was also an independent prognostic marker, using both the disease-free interval and overall survival as end points. In contrast to uPA, neither tumor size nor estrogen receptor status was prognosti c in the node-negative patients. Measurement of uPA concentrations mig ht thus be of value in selecting the more aggressive subpopulation of node-negative breast cancer patients that could benefit from adjuvant therapy.