The plasminogen activation cascade is involved in carcinogenesis, invasion and metastasis. In this study plasminogen activators and their type 1 inhibitor were evaluated in colonic tissue from 19 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis coli, an inherited disorder characterised by the presence of thousands of adenomatous polyps in the colorectum which predispose to colorectal cancer. The conversion of normal-appearing colonic mucosa to neoplastic tissue in these patients was associated with an increase in urokinase-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, accompanied by a decreased level of tissue-type plasminogen activator. These observations are essentially similar to those found in solitary adenomas and carcinomas of the colon, and illustrate the uniform involvement of the plasminogen activation system in colorectal carcinogenesis.