The Role of Plasminogen Activator for Metastasis in Cancer of Digestive Organs

Nobuhiko Nishino, Masaki Nakamura, Katsunori Aoki, Hiroyuki Konno, Syozo Baba, Akikazu Takada*

Second Department of Surgery, Second Department of Physiology* Hamamatsu University School of Medicine

The relationship between plasminogen activator derived from cancer cell and metastasis in cancer of digestive organs was investigated. Immunohistochemical staining showed strong stain of urokinase (UK) and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-I) in tumor cells, especially advanced site of main tumor. Main tumor and metastatic lymph node showed higher levels of UK than normal tissues of stomach and lymph node. In contrast to UK levels, the amount of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) were not different between tumor tissues and normal tissues in stomach, and decreased in metastatic lymph node. UK levels in peritoneum showed higher rate in case which depth of main tumor was deper than se (s exposed) even though there was no peritoneal metastasis grossly, in cotrast t-PA levels in peritoneum were lower in such case. High PAI-I levels of main gastric tumors showed high tendency of lymph node metastasis. Plasma t-PA levels in patients with cancer of esophagus, stomach and colorectum tended to show lower rate than those of healthy controls. It was supecurated that activation of UK derived from cancer cells and systemic decrease of t-PA related to local invasion and metastasis of cancer.

Key words
cancer of digest organs, plasminogen activator, metastasis

Reprint requests
Nobuhiko Nishino Department of Surgery II, School of Medicine, Hamamatsu Medical University
3600 Handa-cho, Hamamatsu, 431-31 JAPAN

Accepted
December 12, 1990

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