title: Analysis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in different sites of endometriosis and correlation with clinico-pathological parameters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have demonstrated the overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in endometriosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of COX-2 in different anatomical sites of endometriosis and its association with clinico-pathological parameters in a single institutional series of patients undergoing operative treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  COX-2 expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry in 136 samples of endometriotic tissue from 103 patients affected by endometriosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  COX-2 immunoreaction was observed in 78.5% of ovarian endometriotic cysts, in 11.1% of peritoneal implants and 13.3% of recto-vaginal nodules. COX-2 positivity was not distributed differently according to age, pre-operative serum levels of CA125 and AFS score. Moreover, COX-2 positivity did not show any significant variation according to the subjective intensity of pain, as dysmenorrhoea, chronic pelvic pain, lower urinary tract or gastrointestinal symptoms, or according to infertility.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased COX-2 expression in the endometriotic ovarian cyst wall was observed with respect to other extraovarian localizations. No relevant correlations between COX-2 positivity and clinico-pathological characteristics and symptoms of patients were observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecological Oncology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fagotti
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrandina
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fanfani
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Legge
authors.forename: Libero
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lauriola
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gessi
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Minelli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scambia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018394:CA-125 Antigen / Q000097:blood; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis*; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000032:analysis*; D012007:Rectum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D014621:Vagina / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018394:CA-125 Antigen; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases