title: COX-2+ myofibroblasts may play a key role in marked stromal fibrosis in strictured colorectal carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate the mechanism of marked stromal fibrosis in strictured colorectal carcinomas (SC) that cause complete ileus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen cases of SC and 29 cases of non-strictured colorectal carcinoma (NSC) were studied. These carcinomas showed similar clinicopathological features except for bowel stricture. The stricture index (SI) showing the degree of bowel stricture was 59.8 +/- 12.1% in SC versus 20.8 +/- 24.6% in NSC (P < 0.001). The fibrosis index (FI), defined to reflect the extent of stromal fibrosis, was 56.3 +/- 8.8% in SC versus 21.9 +/- 10.6% in NSC (P < 0.001). COX-2+ myofibroblasts were detected in 13 cases (81.3%) in SC versus eight cases (27.6%) in NSC (P < 0.01). The COX-2+ myofibroblast density was 276.7 +/- 181.1 cells/mm(2) in SC versus 26.6 +/- 52.7 cells/mm(2) in NSC (P < 0.001). When all cases were divided into two groups with and without COX-2+ myofibroblasts, the SI was 48.8 +/- 19.1% in those with COX-2+ myofibroblasts versus 24.8 +/- 29.3% in those with COX-2- myofibroblasts (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COX-2+ myofibroblasts may play an important role in extensive bowel stricture in colorectal carcinomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Juntendo University, School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. kasamaki@hh.iij4u.or.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kasamaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumasaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Haraguchi
mesh_terms: D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D045823:Ileus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases