High cyclooxygenase-2 expression in cervical adenocarcinomas.
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.
Chen
Yi-Jen
YJ
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Institute of Clinical Medicine, and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wang
Liang-Shun
LS
Wang
Peng-Hui
PH
Lai
Chiung-Ru
CR
Yen
Ming-Shyen
MS
Ng
Heung-Tat
HT
Yuan
Chiou-Chung
CC
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
D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases