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Expression of COX-2 in stomach cancers and its relation to their biological features
1Department of General Surgery, Henan Tumor Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P.R. China.
Background/Aim:
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is one of the key isoenzymes in the production of prostaglandins, and is believed to be involved in carcinogenesis. This study was conducted to examine the role of COX-2 in the development and biological behavior of stomach cancer.
Methods:
Expression of COX-2 at the mRNA and protein levels was analyzed using RT-PCR and immunoblotting assay in 50 cancerous and corresponding non-cancerous tissue specimens. Also, COX-2 expression was detected by an immunohistochemical method in 55 paraffin-embedded gastric adenocarcinoma tissues.
Results:
Of the 50 carcinoma tissue samples analyzed, 38 (76.0%) had overexpression of COX-2 as compared to the paired non-cancerous specimens. The overexpression of COX-2 (91.7%) was more prevalent in tumors with sizes of >5 cm than those (61.5%) of 6 metastatic nodes compared to those with
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that COX-2 may play a role in the development of gastric cancer and its overexpression is associated with lymphatic metastasis, tumor invasion and differentiation of gastric carcinoma.