title: Oesophageal squamous cell neoplasia in head and neck cancer patients: upregulation of COX-2 during carcinogenesis.
abstract: Patients with (previous) head and neck cancer (HNC) are at high risk for developing second squamous cell cancer of the oesophagus. The role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in oesophageal squamous carcinogenesis has not yet been investigated in this high-risk group. Therefore, this study examined COX-2 mRNA and protein expression in oesophageal biopsies and resected tissues of 44 HNC patients. The evaluation covered 55 oesophageal tissue samples (18 invasive oesophageal squamous cell cancers, four high- and eight low-grade dysplasias, 25 normal squamous epithelia) from the 44 patients. mRNA levels of COX-2 were measured by real-time PCR using a LightCycler. COX-2 protein expression was studied immunohistochemically and graded by a staining score. COX-2 mRNA was detected in all samples, and its levels correlated positively with the immunohistochemical staining score (P<0.05). COX-2 expression was upregulated during oesophageal squamous carcinogenesis in HNC patients, that is COX-2 expression increased significantly from normal oesophageal squamous epithelium to low- and high-grade dysplasia and finally to invasive squamous cell cancer (P<0.001). Our findings suggest that COX-2 upregulation contributes to oesophageal squamous carcinogenesis in HNC patients. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the chemopreventive potential of COX-2 inhibitors in this high-risk group.
authors.affiliation: Medical Clinic I, Gastroenterology/Infectious Disease/Rheumatology, University Hospital Benjamin Franklin, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maaser
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Däubler
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barthel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: von Lampe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffmeister
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scherübl
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D017931:DNA Primers; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases