Production of metalloproteinases such as collagenases has been reported to be involved in the metastasis of cancer cells. Granulocytic sarcoma in extramedullary sites can be formed by similar steps to other cancers. In this study, we have examined the secretion of type IV collagenases and a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in several human leukemia cell lines, including a granulocytic sarcoma-derived cell line established from a patient with granulocytic sarcomas in dermal tissues. We have also examined the invasive capacity of these leukemia cell lines into reconstituted basement membrane, Matrigel, which was used for in vitro invasion assay. Among the human leukemia cell lines used in this study, only the granulocytic sarcoma cell line was found to secrete type IV collagenase constitutively. Other myeloid leukemia cell lines such as HL-60 and U-937 produced type IV collagenase only after treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. All the cell lines secreted similar amounts of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases. In vitro invasion assay revealed that the granulocytic sarcoma cell line showed higher invasive capacity than the other cell lines. These results suggest that the secretion of 92 kDa type IV collagenase plays a role in the leukemia cells' invasion of extramedullary tissues.