Prognostic value of pre-surgical plasma PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) levels in breast cancer

Abstract Introduction Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) may have an independent prognostic value in breast cancer (BC). PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism may have significance for antigen expression. Thus, we analyzed the possible associations between PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism, plasma PAI-1 levels, and clinicopathological features of breast cancer (BC) patients. Patients and Methods PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism (both on germinal and tumor DNA) and plasma PAI-1 levels were investigated in 99 BC patients and 50 unrelated healthy women similar for age and menopausal status. Results No association was found between allele frequencies and clinicopathological features of BC or plasma antigen levels. Plasma PAI-1 levels were higher in BC compared to controls (p = 0.002), particularly in patients with large tumors (p  Conclusions We may conclude that plasma PAI-1 levels in BC patients could represent a useful prognostic variable for relapse, although PAI-1 polymorphism might not represent a genetic susceptibility factor.