Related Experiment Videos
Cyclooxygenase-2 expression correlates with apoptosis and angiogenesis in endometrial cancer tissue
Satoshi Ohno1, Yumiko Ohno, Nobutaka Suzuki
1Departments of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Clinical R&D, Ishikawa, Japan. satoshio@med.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Background:
Recent experimental studies have indicated that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) suppresses tumor-cell apoptosis and induces intratumoral angiogenesis.
Patients And Methods:
A series of 70 endometrial cancer cases that had undergone a curative resection was studied to determine the correlation between COX-2 expression, apoptosis and angiogenesis in human endometrial cancer tissue. Tissue specimens were evaluated for COX-2, single-strand DNA (ssDNA, apoptosis) and CD31 (angiogenesis) by immunohistochemistry.
Results:
COX-2 expression was positive exclusively in cancer cells in 37 cases (53%). The apoptotic index was lower in COX-2-positive cancer cells than COX-2-negative cases. Microvessel density was higher in COX-2-positive cancer cases than COX-2-negative cases. COX-2 overexpression was significantly associated with poor prognosis.
Conclusion:
These results suggested that tumor-produced COX-2, which was associated with inhibiting apoptosis and promoting angiogenesis, provided additional prognostic information in endometrial cancer patients.
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Apoptosis