title: Immunohistochemical analysis of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in pancreatic tumors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A considerable amount of evidence collected from several experimental systems and clinical studies with nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) indicates that Cox-2 may play a major role in colorectal tumorigenesis, but little information about Cox-2 expression in pancreatic tumors is available. In this study, we investigated Cox-2 expression by means of both immunohistochemical analysis and immunoblot analysis in pancreatic tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty invasive ductal adenocarcinomas and 26 intraductal papillary-mucinous tumors (IPMTs) were used for immunohistochemical analysis, and five pancreatic cancer tissues and five pancreatic cancer cell lines for immunoblot analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cox-2 was expressed in 72% of the invasive ductal adenocarcinomas, 31% of intraductal papillary-mucinous adenocarcinomas, and none of intraductal papillary-mucinous adenomas. The expression rate of Cox-2 in intraductal papillary-mucinous adenocarcinomas was significantly higher than that in intraductal papillary-mucinous adenomas, and that in invasive ductal adenocarcinomas was significantly higher than that in intraductal papillary-mucinous carcinomas. However, there was no significant correlation between Cox-2 expression and the prognosis and clinicopathological factors. Immunoblot analysis identified Cox-2 in all of pancreatic cancer tissues and 60% of cell lines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The biological role of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) in carcinoma cells should be investigated with reference to the cancer progression of the pancreas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Surgical Basic Science, Kyoto University, Japan. uriri@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koshiba
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hosotani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: J U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D000236:Adenoma / Q000201:enzymology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases