Association between plasma concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and survival in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract

Editorial by Verspaget Invasion by cancer cells requires proteases such as the serine protease plasmin to degrade the cellular matrix. Plasmin is formed from its zymogen, plasminogen, a reaction catalysed by urokinase type plasminogen activator—which is implicated in invasion1—and partly regulated by plasminogen activator inhibitors. The active form of the inhibitor complexes with free and receptor bound active urokinase plasminogen activator and is bound by vitronectin in plasma and extracellular matrix.2 A high concentration of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in biopsy specimens from tumours is associated with a poor prognosis,3 and some patients with ovarian cancer have raised plasma concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.4 We studied the prognostic importance of plasma concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in patients with colorectal …