Presurgical serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma

SummaryMatrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are two proteins involved in angiogenesis. In the present study we investigated the association of pretreatment MMP-9 and VEGF serum levels with clinicopathological parameters and outcome in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Pretreatment serum levels of MMP-9 and VEGF were analyzed in 161 patients with use of enzyme-linked immunoassays. Patients with a VEGF serum level higher than the mean serum level (497.04 pg/mL) had a significantly shorter overall survival than those with a serum level lower than median (p < 0.0001). Patients with MMP-9 serum levels higher than median (226.7 ng/mL) had significantly shorter overall survival than those with levels lower than median (p = 0.01). In addition to cervical lymph node metastasis and tumor stage, pretreatment serum levels of MMP-9 and VEGF were identified as independent prognostic factors in multivariate Cox regression analysis. We conclude pretreatment serum levels of MMP-9 and VEGF are new powerful prognostic markers in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.