[Relationship between bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA expression in gastric carcinoma and their clinicopathological features as well as patients survival].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mRNA expression of bFGF and MMP-9 in gastric carcinomas and to find their correlation with tumor microvascular density (MVD), invasion, metastasis and patients survival.

METHODS: In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry technique were used to test the expression of bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA and protein of CD34 in 105 specimens of gastric carcinoma.

RESULTS: In situ hybridization revealed that the positive rates of bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA were 60.95 and 58.1%, respectively; The mean MVD (46.09 +/- 11.52, 43.75 +/- 13.41 piece/0.72 mm(2)) in tumors with bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA positive expression was significantly higher than that (29.41 +/- 12.47; 33.45 +/- 13.92 piece/0.72 mm(2)) in tumors with their negative expression, respectively; The positive expression rates of bFGF and MMP-9 mRNA were correlated to invasion depth (r(s) = 0.211, P = 0.031; r(s) = 0.335, P = 0.001, respectively), growing pattern (r(s) = 0.324, P = 0.001; r(s) = 0.267, P = 0.006, respectively), vessel invasion (r(s) = 0.579, P = 0.001; r(s) = 0.209, P = 0.032, respectively), lymph node metastasis (r(s) = 0.405, P = 0.001; r(s) = 0.343, P = 0.001, respectively) and distant metastasis (r(s) = 0.474, P = 0.001; r(s) = 0.468, P = 0.001, respectively), but not correlated to tumor type (r(s) = 0.134, P = 0.173; r(s) = 0.103, P = 0.145, respectively) and differentiation (r(s) = 0.096, P = 0.332; r(s) = 0.102, P = 0.298, respectively); And then, the mean MVD in tumors with infiltrating type, stage T(3)-T(4), vessel invasion, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis was significantly higher than that in tumors with expanding type (t = 10.105, P = 0.001), stage T(1)-T(2) (t = 5.961, P = 0.001), non-vessel invasion (t = 7.394, P = 0.001), non-lymph node metastasis (t = 3.819, P = 0.01) and non-distant metastasis (r = 10.578, P = 0.001); There was a positive relationship between MVD and bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA (t = 3.207, P = 0.002; t = 7.035, P = 0.001), respectively; the mean survival time in cases with positive bFGF mRNA and MMP-9 mRNA and MVD value >/= 39.5 was significantly shorter than that in cases with their negative expression and MVD value < 39.5.

CONCLUSIONS: bFGF and MMP-9 promote angiogenesis in gastric cancer. Test of the expression of bFGF and MMP-9 may act as an useful index to determine angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis and patients survival.