Upregulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 and downregulated tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 are risk factors for lymph node metastasis and perineural invasion in pancreatic carcinoma

Lu-Lu Zhai,1,2,* Yang Wu,1,2,* Chong-Yang Cai,1,2 Zhi-Gang Tang1,2 1Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University, 2Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Hefei, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally tothis work Background: Dysregulated expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI)-2 is closely associated with tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The aim of this work was to determine the predictive values of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 in identifying lymph node metastasis (LNM) and perineural invasion (PNI) in pancreatic carcinoma.Methods: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples containing pancreatic carcinoma tissues and their corresponding para-carcinoma tissues were obtained from 122 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. The expression levels of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The roles of MMP-2 and TFPI-2 in predicting LNM and PNI in pancreatic carcinoma were analyzed.Results: The level of MMP-2 expression was markedly increased in pancreatic carcinoma tissues (76.9%) compared with para-carcinoma tissues (29.2%; P