Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of MMP13 and its relationship with invasion，metastasis and prognosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer（NSCLC）.
MethodsThe expression of MMP13 was detected by immunohistochemistry in 87 specimens of NSCLC tissues and 30 specimens of adjacent normal tissue. χ2 test was applied to analyze the relationship between expression and clinicopathologic characteristics. KaplanMeier univariate and multivariate Cox model were applied to analyze the survival of NSCLC.
Results The positive expression rates of MMP13 in NSCLC and adjacent normal lung tissues were 70.1％（61／87）and 6.7％（2／30） with significant differences（P＜0.001）. The expression of MMP13 was associated with T stages， lymphatic metastasis and TNM stages（P＜0.05）. Kaplan-Meier univariate analysis revealed the five-year survival rate of MMP13positive patients was lower than that of MMP13negative patients（18.4% vs. 52.1%, P=0.001）. Meanwhile, TNM stages（P＜0.001）， lymphatic metastasis（P＜0.001）and T stages（P=0.002） could influnce the survival time of patients with NSCLC. Cox multivariate survival analysis revealed only MMP13 expression（P=0.042）and TNM stages（P=0.001）as independent prognostic factors. Conclusion MMP13 is closely correlated with invasion and metastasis of lung cancer， and its positive expression may suggest poor prognosis in NSCLC patients.