Clinical significance of MT1-MMP mRNA expression in breast cancer

Membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is known as an activator of MMP-2. We reported that the expression of MT1-MMP is a powerful indicat or of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancers. We now examined the possibi lity that MT1-MMP expression also is an indicator of lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. We examined the clinicopathologic significance of the exp ression of MT1-MMP mRNA in 53 breast cancer specimens by the semiquantitati ve reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. The high est expression of MT1-MMP was found in those specimens showing lymph node m etastasis and/or lymph vessel invasion. Therefore, an analysis of MT1-MMP c an predict the presence of lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients by RT-PCR assay in minute amounts of tissue. We believe this is an objectiv e assay for determining the role of MT1-MMP for metastasis in patients with breast cancer.