ACTIVE-MMP2 IN CANCER CELL NESTS OF ORAL-CANCER PATIENTS - CORRELATION WITH LYMPH-NODE METASTASIS

We examined the gelatinolytic activity in human oral squamous-cell car cinoma tissues in order to evaluate the capability of intravasation an d extravasation of cancer cells. By a microdissection-zymography, we d emonstrated separately the gelatinolytic activities in cancer cell nes ts and stroma adjacent to the cancer cells. The gelatinolytic activiti es, such as pro-matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)9 and active-MMP2 in mos t of cancer cell nests were much higher than those of normal gingival epithelium. Moreover, the activities of active-MMP2 in cancer cell nes ts tf metastatic cancers were significantly higher than those of non-m etastatic cancers (p<0.05). These results suggest that active-MMP2 in cancer cells can be a predictive marker for metastasis formation in or al squamous-cell carcinoma patients.