A Double Immunohistochemical Study on the Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and Type IV Collagen in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity and Oropharynx

Choi, Geon; Shin, Sang Hoon; Choi, Jin Ho; Chae, Sung Won; Jung, Kwang Yoon; Choi, Jong Ouck; Oh, Hwa Eun

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is produced by tumor cells that specifically cleaves type IV collagen, one of the major constituents of basement membrane. The MMP-2 and type IV collagen have been postulated to have an important role in the invasion and spread of malignant tumors. However, little has been reported about expression of MMP-2 and type IV collagen in primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes of oral cavity and oropharynx simultaneously. So we investigated that MMP-2 and type IV collagen can be used as the prognostic indicators of metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and oropharynx.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Double immunohistochemistry was used to detect MMP-2 and type IV collagen in 32 primary tumors (14 cases had metastatic nodes and 18 cases had no metastatic node) of surgically treated squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx. The findings were compared to clinical findings of each cases.
RESULTS
The immunoreactivity of MMP-2 increased significantly as more destructive patterns of basement membrane components in primary tumor (p=0.019) than metastatic lymph nodes. The cases with cervical metastasis showed more destructive patterns than cases with absence of cervical metastasis in primary tumor (p=0.003), but expression of MMP-2 had no correlation with presence or absence of cervical metastasis. The cases with diffuse invasion showed more destructive pattern than cases with any other patterns in primary tumor. However, expression of MMP-2 had no correlation with invasion mode of primary tumor. In metastatic lymph node, neither of them had no correlation with invasion mode. No statistical correlations in expression of MMP-2 and type IV collagen were detected between primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes.
CONCLUSION
The expression patterns of MMP-2 and type IV collagen in oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma can be useful in predicting cervical metastasis.