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Abstract
Plasminogen activators are involved in the growth, the local invasion, and the metastatic spreading of cancer. In particular, the urokinase type of plasminogen activator (u-PA) is produced and secreted by adenocarcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract. Adenomatous polyps of the colorectum, the precursor lesion to adenocarcinomas, express, to a lesser extent, a pattern of the plasminogen activator profile similar to that of the adenocarcinomas. The increased content of urokinase in neoplasms and its functional relation with invasiveness and metastasis formation are indicative of an important role in the development of malignancy. These plasminogen activator-related findings open new possibilities for both diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic intervention in gastrointestinal cancer.