Clinical Relevance of Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator ( uPA ) , uPA Receptor , Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Co-expression from Tissue and Serum of Breast Cancer as Targets of Biotherapy / 대한암학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We measured and compared the uPA, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and uPA receptor (uPAR) levels in breast cancer tissues and blood of the patients to evaluate their clinical relevance for biotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: uPA, PAI-1 (Monozyme, Netherland), uPAR (American Diagnostics, USA) levels were measured by ELISA assay in 192 breast cancer tissues, in 18 normal breast tissues and in 163 blood from breast cancer patients. RESULTS: There was a tendency of uPA increment from ductal carcinoma in situ while increment of PAI-1 and uPAR occurred from Ti. With the progression of cancer, uPA, PAI-1, uPAR tended to decrease; however, the uPA/uPAR, uPA/PAI-1 ratios remained unchanged. There was a correlation of uPA expression between normal and cancer tissues ( r(2)= 0.49). Correlation of uPA and PAI-1 was found in normal tissue and stage I cancer tissue while correlation of uPAR and PAI-1 was found with cancer progression. Between cancer tissue and blood significant correlations were found in uPA, PAI-1, uPAR levels. CONCLUSION: uPA, PAI-1, uPAR levels in cancer tissue elevated from the early stage maintaining correlative expressions with cancer progression. A positive correlation between cancer tissue and blood level suggested the applicability of the levels of uPA, PAI-1 or uPAR for detecting patients for biotherapy.