| Clinical Significance of Urokinase - type Plasminogen Activator Receptor ( uPAR ) Expression in Breast Cancer Tissues |
| Soo Jung Gong, Sun Young Rha, Hei Chul Jung, Joon Oh Park, Nae Choon Yoo, Jae Kyung Roh, Woo Ick Yang, Kyong Sik Lee, Jin Sik Min, Byung Soo Kim, Hyun Cheol Chung |
1Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji Medical Center, Eulji Hospital, Seoul.
2Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
3Departments of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
4Departments of General Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
5Departments of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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| ABSTRACT |
PURPOSE:
Cancer invasion is induced by several proteolytic enzyme systems associated with the destruction of basement membrane and extracellular matrix. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) have been reported as prognostic factors in breast cancer patients and plasminogen activation is regulated by various factor such as uPAR and growth factor. So we examined the tissue levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) in breast cancer patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Tissue uPAR levels were measured by ELISA assay in 268 breast cancer patients.
RESULTS:
The median and mean values of tissue uPAR level in breast cancer were 3.5 ng/mg and 4.8+-3.6 ng/mg cytosol protein, respectively. Tissue uPAR level was the highest in T1 stage, but there was no statistical significance between T stage (p >0.05). In nodal stage, there was also no difference in the value of uPAR according to progression. And the value of uPAR expression was not associated with estrogen and progesteron receptor status, number of involved node and percent of node involvement. In TNM stage, tissue uPAR levels were higher in patients with stage I-II than in patients with stage III-IV (p=0.027). In univariate analysis, nodal factor (p=0.0023) and TNM stage (p=0.0004) were significantly associated with overall survival. But, multivariate analysis showed that TNM stage was the only significant prognostic factor (p=0.0002).
CONCLUSION:
These results suggest that uPAR is mainly associated with initial tumor invasion and other factors might be involved in later stages of cancer progression. |
| Key words:
Plasminogen activator receptor;Urokinase-type;Breast neoplasm |
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