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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication
09:52

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

Published on: September 20, 2016

Cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor biology

Shigeru Kanaoka1, Tetsunari Takai, Ken-ichi Yoshida

  • 1First Department of Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan.

Advances in Clinical Chemistry
|January 26, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays a role in cancer development and prevention. A novel Fecal COX-2 Assay shows promise for colorectal cancer screening by detecting COX-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) in stool samples.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is implicated in cancer development and prevention.
  • Selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) show potential for chemoprevention, but systemic toxicity concerns exist.
  • COX-2 serves as a potential biomarker for tumor evaluation and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe proposed mechanisms of COX-2 in carcinogenesis.
  • To critically discuss the use of COX-2 as a biomarker in neoplasm evaluation.
  • To demonstrate the utility of a novel Fecal COX-2 Assay for colorectal cancer screening.

Main Methods:

  • Review of proposed mechanisms for COX-2 in carcinogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis inhibition, angiogenesis promotion, invasiveness, immune modulation, and mutagenesis.
  • Critical discussion on COX-2 as a biomarker for neoplasm evaluation.
  • Development and evaluation of a "Fecal COX-2 Assay" to detect COX-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) in feces.

Main Results:

  • COX-2 is involved in multiple stages of cancer progression.
  • The Fecal COX-2 Assay can detect COX-2 mRNA in fecal samples from individuals with colorectal neoplasms.
  • The assay shows potential utility for colorectal cancer screening.

Conclusions:

  • COX-2 is a key molecule in carcinogenesis with implications for cancer prevention and prognosis.
  • Concerns regarding systemic toxicity of coxibs warrant further investigation.
  • The Fecal COX-2 Assay represents a promising, non-invasive tool for early colorectal cancer detection.

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