Urokinase-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and cathepsin D: analysis of their prognostic significance in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 20; no. 5C; p. 3975
• Main Authors: Strojan, P, Budihna, M, Smid, L, Vrhovec, I, Skrk, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01-09-2000
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analysis of Variance; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - blood; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - surgery; Cathepsin D - analysis; Cathepsin D - blood; Disease-Free Survival; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Head and Neck Neoplasms - blood; Head and Neck Neoplasms - mortality; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 - analysis; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 - blood; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Radioimmunoassay; Recurrence; Risk Factors; Survival Rate; Time Factors; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - analysis; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - blood
• ISSN: 0250-7005

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of tumour and serum concentrations of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), its type 1 inhibitor (PAI-1) and cathepsin D (Cath D) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).
Determinations of uPA and PAI-1 were made using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in tumour and serum samples of 47 and 32/47 patients, respectively. For the determination of tumour (94 patients) and serum (34/94 patients) Cath D concentrations, an immunoradiometric assay was used.
In an univariate survival analysis, the risk of disease recurrence and SCCHN-related death was significantly higher in the patients with high uPA (P = 0.046, P = 0.010) tumours, compared to those with low uPA tumours. In addition, the high serum levels of uPA correlated positively with the rate of relapse (P = 0.007), but not with the mortality rate (P = 0.200). There was no statistically significant difference between low and high PAI-1 groups, regarding either tumour or serum concentration of the inhibitor, and between low and high Cath D tumours. Low Cath D serum levels appeared to be related to longer disease-free interval (P = 0.055), but not to disease-specific survival (P = 0.120).
The tumour levels of uPA, as well as serum levels of uPA and Cath D could potentially predict the survival probability of patients with SCCHN. However, the strength of this association remains to be investigated on a larger and more homogeneous group of patients.