title: High cyclooxygenase-2 expression in cervical adenocarcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and prognostic factors in cervical carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied COX-2 expression in 53 women with cervical cancers, including 35 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), 1 adenosquamous cell carcinoma (ASCC), and 17 adenocarcinomas (ACs), using commercially available polyclonal antibodies on Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Normal cervical tissues were obtained as from other patients with uterine myomas treated with a total hysterectomy (n = 16). The immunoreactivity was quantified using an immunohistochemical scoring system that approximates the use of an image analysis-based system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two cervical cancer tissues (41.5%), including 10 SCCs and 12 ACs, expressed COX-2 at a moderate to strong level, which significantly, differed from the negligible expression found in the control group of 16 normal cervical tissues (P = 0.001). Different cell types showed significantly different expression levels of COX-2 (SCC at 28.6% vs AC at 70.6%, P = 0.004). The presence of deep stromal invasion (n = 40) showed a significant inverse relationship to COX-2 expression (32.5% vs 69.2%, P = 0.02). The expression of COX-2 in well-differentiated carcinomas was significantly increased compared to that in moderately and poorly differentiated carcinomas (72.7% vs 33.3%, respectively, P = 0.018).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overexpression of COX-2 was found in both SCC and AC, but SCCs showed infrequent and low expression. These findings suggest that increased COX-2 expression may play an important role in cervical adenocarcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Institute of Clinical Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Liang-Shun
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Peng-Hui
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chiung-Ru
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Ming-Shyen
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Heung-Tat
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Chiou-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases