Pre-treatment serum and plasma levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases 1 (TIMP-1) in gastric cancer patients

BACKGROUND: The invasion and metastases of gastric cancer (GC) depends on the activities of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases. It was suggested that the concentration of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is better than the concentration of serum MMP-9 for prediction of evolution of GC. The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical usefulness of plasma and serum tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in the diagnosis and prognosis of GC. METHODS: Plasma and serum concentrations of TIMP-1, MMP-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were assayed in 73 patients with GC and 61 healthy controls. The diagnostic criteria and prognostic value for the measurands were defined. RESULTS: Plasma and serum TIMP-1, MMP-9 and CEA were significantly higher in GC patients compared with healthy controls. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.961), diagnostic sensitivity (89%) and accuracy (91%) of plasma TIMP-1 were higher than those for MMP-9 and CEA. An increased pre-treatment concentration of plasma TIMP-1 was a significant independent prognostic factor for the survival of patients with GC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the plasma TIMP-1 is a better biomarker than the serum TIMP-1 and might be useful for the diagnosis of GC and prognosis of patient survival.