Zinc dependent endopeptidases of matrix metalloproteinases-9 expressions is associated with tumor metastases of oral squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese population: a meta-analysis.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an important member of zinc dependent endopeptidases family and is considered to be involved in the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Many studies were published to assess the prognostic role of MMP-9 expression in patients with oral squamous cell Carcinoma, but the findings from those studies were inconsistent in Chinese population. We searched eligible studies in Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Six studies with a total of 556 patients were finally included into the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) for positive rate of MMP-9 were calculated by using meta-analysis. Overall, MMP-9 positive expression was associated with tumor metastases in patients with oral squamous cell Carcinoma (fixed-effects OR 4.24, 95% CI 2.25-7.99, P < 0.001; random-effects OR 4.35, 95% CI 2.31-8.21, P < 0.001). Our results indicated that MMP-9 expression is associated with tumor metastases in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, and patients with higher MMP-9 expression have less tumor metastases.