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
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.