title: [Clinicopathologic significance of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA expression in human breast carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene in breast cancer and its clinicopathologic characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  With beta-actin gene as reference, the COX-2 mRNA was monitored in 30 specimens of breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The COX-2 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in most breast cancer tissues with range of 0.05 - 0.91 (median 0.56), which was rare in normal breast tissue with range of 0 - 0.09 (median 0). The difference of COX-2 mRNA expression between cancer and normal breast tissue was significant (rank sum test, P < 0.05). COX-2 overexpression in breast cancer was related to its lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05) but not to age, tumor size, pathologic grade or pathologic type (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of COX-2 mRNA expression is obviously higher in the breast cancer tissue than that in normal breast tissue. COX-2 overexpression may play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis, development of cancer and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Abdominal Surgery, Third Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150040, China.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Xianqi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yingwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases