title: COX-2 expression in rectal carcinoma: immunohistochemical pattern and clinical outcome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing evidence suggests that COX-2 promotes carcinogenesis but it is controversial as to whether COX-2 expression is a prognostic factor for rectal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 62 consecutive patients with rectal carcinoma in UICC-stages I-III, which were curatively resected between 1995 and 1996, were analyzed. The paraffin-embedded tumor samples were stained for COX-2 expression. A labeling index of stained cells was calculated and the median COX- 2 labeling index was used as the cut-offpoint for statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median labeling index was 0.58 (SD +/- 0.25). The Chi-square test revealed no correlation between COX-2 overexpression and the established prognostic factors. In the univariate analysis, COX-2 did not show significance according to the endpoints, local recurrence (p=0.41), disease-specific survival (p=0.28) or overall-survival (p=0.69). In contrast increased COX-2 level was a significant prognostic factor for pulmonary metastasis (p=0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COX-2 expression lacked significance as a prognostic factor for local control and survivaL However, there is evidence that COX-2 might be linked to an increased risk of hematogenous metastatic spread.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Abdominal Surgery, Georg Schmorl General Hospital Dresden-Friedrichstadt, Technical University of Dresden, Germany. petersen-sv@.khdf.de
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haroske
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hellmich
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eicheler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000201:enzymology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases