Free accessResearch articleFirst published online 2000-7
Clinical Evidence for Correlation of Insufficient Tissue Oxygen Supply (Hypoxia) and Tumor-Associated Proteolysis in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Hypoxic tumors of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck show a consistent trend towards poor treatment outcome. We now report that tumor hypoxia in these patients is correlated with elevated antigen content of the tumor-associated serine protease uPA (urokinase-type plasminogen activator), a marker of tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
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