Prognostic value of uPA, PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA expression in primary breast cancer.

The prognostic value of uPA, PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA expression was studied in a retrospective series of 130 primary breast cancer patients (median follow-up 8.1 years).UPA, PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA were quantified by means of real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Comparison with the corresponding protein levels determined by ELISA was performed in 21 cases.Higher uPA protein values were found in cases with high mRNA values, but the relationship was of borderline significance. PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA were positively correlated to protein values. The mRNA expression of uPA, PAI-1 and PAI-2 was significantly correlated with one another. Higher uPA and PAI-1 mRNA values were significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.002; p = 0.03, respectively). Low and very high PAI-2 mRNA values tended to be associated with longer DFS. In Cox multivariate analyses, higher uPA and PAI-1 mRNA values were independently associated with shorter DFS. PAI-2 was not retained as a significant variable in the Cox model.These preliminary results indicate that, in breast cancer, uPA, PAI-1 and PAI-2 mRNA analysis by quantitative RT-PCR give results comparable to those obtained at the protein level.