Overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase 11 in Thai prostatic adenocarcinoma is associated with poor survival.

Background: The incidence of prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in elderly men, is increasing annually in Thailand. Matrix metalloproteinase 11 (MMP-11) is a member of the extracellular matrix metalloproteases which has been associated with human tumor progression and clinical outcome.

Aim: To quantify MMP-11 expression in prostatic adenocarcinoma tissues and to determine whether its overexpression correlates with survival outcome, and to assess its potential as a new prognostic marker.

Materials And Methods: Expression of MMP-11 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry in 103 Thai patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma. Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models.

Results: Immunoreactivity of MMP-11 was seen in the stroma of prostatic adenocarcinoma tissue samples, high expression being significantly correlated with poor differentiation in Gleason grading, pathologic tumor stage 4 (pT4), and positive-bone metastasis (p<0.05), but not age and prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) level. Patients with high levels of MMP-11 expression demonstrated significantly shorter survival (p<0.001) when compared to those with low levels. Multivariate analysis showed that MMP-11 expression and pT stage were related with survival in prostatic adenocarcinoma [hazard ratio (HR)=0.448, 95% confidence interval (95%CI)=0.212-0.946, HR=0.333, 95%CI=0.15-0.74, respectively].

Conclusions: Expression of MMP-11 is significantly associated with survival in prostatic adenocarcinoma. High levels may potentially be used for prediction of a poor prognosis.