Matrix metalloproteinase 9 and the epidermal growth factor signal pathway in operable non-small cell lung cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is an endopeptidase that digests basement membrane type IV collagen. Enhanced expression has been related to tumor progression both in vitro and in vivo. The control of MMP transcription is complex, but recently, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression has been implicated in up-regulation of MMP-9 in tumor cells in vitro. Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between MMP-9 and EGFR expression …