Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) not only inhibits matrix metalloproteinases but also stimulates tumor growth. In this study, long-term follow-up results were analyzed to clarify the prognostic value of plasma TIMP-1. Preoperative plasma TIMP-1 was measured from peripheral blood samples of 87 Japanese patients with colorectal carcinoma. All the patients underwent surgical resection and were followed for 5 years prospectively. The median follow-up period was 70 months (60-79 months). The cutoff value of plasma TIMP-1 was set at 170 ng/ml based on the ROC curve. Sensitivity and specificity to predict 5-year survival was 66.7 and 55.0% with this cutoff value. In univariate analyses for overall survival, lymph node metastasis, serosal invasion, peritoneal metastasis, liver metastasis, metastasis to other distant organs and TIMP-1 were significant. In multivariate analyses, lymph node and liver metastases, metastasis to other distant organs and plasma TIMP-1 were independent prognosticators, but p values of TIMP-1 did not reach statistical significance. Our results suggested that the preoperative plasma TIMP-1 concentration could be a useful prognosticator of long-term survival in patients with colorectal carcinoma.
(c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel