Immunohistochemical Expression of MMP1 and TIMP1 as Markers of Migration in Hodgkin's and Non - Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Head and Neck Region: A Comparative Study

Background : Malignant lymphoma is a term that describes primary tumors of the lymphoreticular system, almost all of which arise from lymphocytes. MMP-1 is the most ubiquitously expressed interstitial collagenase, a subfamily of MMPs that cleaves stromal collagens. It is also called collagenase-1.TIMPs which inhibits MMP activity and thereby restrict extracellular matrix breakdown, TIMP-1 is a stromal factor that has a wide spectrum of functions in different tissues. Material and Methods : This study was performed on (68) formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks, histopathologically diagnosed as lymphoma (head and neck lesions). Immunohistochemical staining of MMP1and TIMP1 was performed on each case of the study sample. Results : The expression of MMP1was cytoplasmic, the study cases showed a 98.5 % positive reaction to MMP1, score 3 was the most common and found in 60.3 % of all cases. The expression of TIMP1was cytoplasmic, 92.6 % of cases expressed positive reactions to TIMP1, score 1 was the most common and found in 57.4 % of all cases. Conclusion : This study showed for the first time the effect of MMP-1 in HL, which is considered to be as an invasive and migratory cell marker. A significant difference was found among the subtypes of NHL in relation to TIMP1, TIMP1inhibits the effect of MMP1 and as MMP1 is elevated the TIMP1 will be elevated too.