J Korean Cancer Assoc.  2000 Feb;32(1):53-59.

Clinical Significance of Urokinase - type Plasminogen Activator Receptor ( uPAR ) Expression in Breast Cancer Tissues

Affiliations
  • 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.

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.

Keyword

Plasminogen activator receptor; Urokinase-type; Breast neoplasm

MeSH Terms

Basement Membrane
Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Cytosol
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Estrogens
Extracellular Matrix
Humans
Multivariate Analysis
Plasminogen Activators*
Plasminogen*
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*
Estrogens
Plasminogen
Plasminogen Activators
Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator
Full Text Links
  • JKCA
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr