Abstract B48: Expression of metalloproteinases mmp-2, mmp-9 in sentinel lymph node and sera of patients with breast cancer

Background: A sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node to receive lymphatic drainage from a tumour. In patients with breast cancer, several studies suggest that sentinel lymph node biopsy can accurately predict the status of axillary lymph nodes and so avoid them removal. Invasion and metastasis are the most important problems in the management of breast cancer. These events require diverse proteolytic enzymes among which MMP-2 and MMP-9 play a significant role in degradation of type IV collagen, the major component of the Basement Membrane (BM). The main objective of this study is to evaluate the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in sentinel lymph node and serum of breast cancer patients at the aim to evaluate their clinical usefulness as diagnostic tumour markers in breast cancer. Material and Methods: Expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was performed on sentinel lymph node by immunohistochemistry while gelatine zymography was used to determinate the serum expression of both Metalloproteinases. The association of MMP-2 and MMP-9 with clinicopathological features, including histological type, estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR), cancer familiarity and CA 15.3 levels were also analysed. In all 50 metastatic e non metastatic breast cancer patients and 34 healthy women were involved. Results: MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression were statistically significant higher in metastatic breast cancer patients respect to non metastatic cancer patients and control group both in the sentinel lymph node and serum (p< 0.01). Besides our results show a statistically significant correlation between higher of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and cancer familiarity (p Conclusion: Our date suggest a possible significant clinical utility of these proteolytic markers in malignant tumour, growth, invasion and metastasis in breast cancer and the role of sentinel lymph node to predict a possible involvement of axillary lymph nodes. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(7 Suppl):B48