Detection of serum MMPs in tumor-bearing hamsters.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated as playing an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis. MMPs have been identified in various malignancies, including pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas. METHODS: We investigated the circulating level of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in sera from Syrian golden hamsters into which hamster pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma tissues had been transplanted subcutaneously (HPDt hamsters). Northern blot analysis and gelatin zymographic analysis were performed to detect the expression of MMPs and that of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in HPDt hamsters. RESULTS: Northern analysis revealed overexpression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2 mRNAs in subcutaneous tumors of HPDt hamsters as compared with normal pancreatic tissue. Sera from HPDt hamsters possessed significantly higher levels of serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 than control sera, as determined by gelatin zymographic analysis, and there was a significant correlation between tumor growth and serum MMP levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that overexpression of MMP mRNAs is involved in the progression of pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas, and that MMP protein expression in hamster sera is associated with the presence of pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma cells. The findings also suggest that serum MMPs could be useful markers for monitoring patients with pancreatic duct adenocarcinomas.

Rupture of a bleeding pancreatic pseudocyst into the stomach.

A bleeding pancreatic pseudocyst following pancreatitis is a severe complication that can lead to massive gastrointestinal bleeding. Rupture of such a pseudocyst into the stomach is rare. We report herein a case of rupture of a bleeding pseudocyst into the stomach in a patient who was successfully treated with emergency surgery. A 60-year-old Japanese man with a history of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis with a pancreatic tail pseudocyst was referred to us because of hematemesis. The cavity of the pseudocyst, which was 3 cm in size and whose wall adhered to the stomach, was enhanced by dynamic bolus computed tomography (CT) in the late arterial phase. Splenic angiography revealed a bleeding pseudocyst in the splenic hilum. Embolization of the pseudocyst failed, because of arterial spasm. A distal pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and total gastrectomy were performed. The wall of the pseudocyst consisted of the pancreatic tail, granulation tissue, and the posterior wall of the stomach. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful. In the management of massive bleeding from a pseudocyst, early diagnosis with dynamic bolus CT and angiography is essential. A bleeding pseudocyst should be considered to be a lethal complication, but it can possibly be treated with a combination of angiographic embolization and surgery.