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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Clinicopathological Analysis of miRNA Expression in Breast Cancer Tissues by Using miRNA In Situ Hybridization
Published on: June 7, 2016
[Clinicopathologic significance of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in human breast carcinoma]
Da Pang1, Xianqi Zhao, Yingwei Xue
1Department of Abdominal Surgery, Third Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150040, China.
Objective:
To study the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene in breast cancer and its clinicopathologic characteristics.
Methods:
With beta-actin gene as reference, the COX-2 mRNA was monitored in 30 specimens of breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results:
The COX-2 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in most breast cancer tissues with range of 0.05 - 0.91 (median 0.56), which was rare in normal breast tissue with range of 0 - 0.09 (median 0). The difference of COX-2 mRNA expression between cancer and normal breast tissue was significant (rank sum test, P < 0.05). COX-2 overexpression in breast cancer was related to its lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05) but not to age, tumor size, pathologic grade or pathologic type (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
The level of COX-2 mRNA expression is obviously higher in the breast cancer tissue than that in normal breast tissue. COX-2 overexpression may play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis, development of cancer and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients.
