Abstract: Objective To determine the expression of mRNA of matrix metalloproteinase 11 (MMP-11) and Moesin in colorectal carcinoma tissue, and to investigate the correlation between its expression and tumor metastasis and prognosis. Methods The expressions of mRNA of MMP-11 and Moesin in 68 tissues from patients with colorectal carcinoma and 40 tissues with normal colorectal mucosa were detected with in situ hybridization. Results The positive expression of mRNA of MMP-11 and Moesin in colorectal carcinoma tissue was 69.1%, and 60.3% respectively, which were both significantly higher than that in normal colorectal mucosa (P<0.05). The expression of mRNA of MMP-11 and Moesin was correlated with histologic differentiation, lymph node metastasis and clinical staging in patients with colorectal carcinoma. The expression of MMP-11 mRNA was also correlated with the depth of invasion of colorectal carcinoma into tissues (P<0.05). The 5-year survival rates were 46.8% and 75% in colorectal carcinoma patients with positive and negative expression of MMP-11 mRNA, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). There were no significant differences on the 5-year survival rates between the colorectal carcinoma patients with positive and negative expression of Moesin mRNA. Conclusion The expressions of mRNA of MMP-11 and Moesin are correlated with the progression and metastasis of colorectal carcinoma, and MMP-11 may be used as a predictor for prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.

Key words: colorectal carcinoma, matrix metalloproteinase 11, Moesin, metastasis, prognosis