Prognostic significance of TIMP-2, MMP-2, and MMP-9 on high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma using digital image analysis

SummaryThe objective of this cohort study was to evaluate whether the immunohistochemical expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 2, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, and MMP-9 could predict the occurrence of death and progression in women with ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). A total of 100 women with primary HGSC who were treated by cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec (Canada) were included. Biomarker expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays constructed from primary tumors. Immunostaining quantification was performed using digital image analysis, from algorithms created with Calopix software, and continuous H-score data were obtained. The cancer antigen-125 and/or the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors criteria were used to define progression. Dates of death were obtained by record linkage with the Québec mortality files. Hazard ratios (HRs) of death and progression with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Overall, a low variability of expression was observed for each marker. No association was found between the level of expression and standard prognostic factors. When assessed as a continuous variable, increased MMP-9 expression (10 units of H-score) was associated with death (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.16; P = .02), but not with progression (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.97-1.10; P = .29). There was no association between the expression of MMP-2 or tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 2 and death or progression. In conclusion, in a homogeneous cohort of women with HGSC, increased MMP-9 tissue expression, as assessed by automated immunostaining quantification, was associated with a higher risk of death.