title: Cyclooxygenase-2 and p53 expressions in endometrial cancer.
abstract: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been known to be related with various types of carcinoma, but we have insufficient knowledge about the association between COX-2 and endometrial cancer. Many have reported a close relationship between p53 expression and a poor prognosis in endometrial cancer, but it is unclear whether p53 is an independent prognostic factor. To clarify these uncertainties, we examined the expressions of COX-2 and p53 in endometrial cancer tissues. The study was carried on 152 endometrial cancer patients who had operation at Seoul National University Hospital. Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were sectioned and immunostained using monoclonal anti-COX-2 and anti-p53 antibodies. Twenty-seven (17.8%) specimens stained as COX-2 positive. COX-2 positivity was more frequently observed in postmenopausal patients than in premenopausal patients (8.8% versus 25.0%; P = 0.009). However, COX-2 positivity did not show a statistically significant association with any other clinicopathologic characteristic (parity, body mass index, histotype, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, grade, lymph node metastasis, deep myometrial invasion, or p53 overexpression). Thirty-one (20.4%) specimens showed p53 overexpression and this was significantly correlated with an advanced stage (P = 0.001), poor differentiation (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.012), and deep myometrial invasion (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that advanced stage was an independent prognostic factor of survival, but p53 overexpression was not. COX-2 may be associated with endometrial cancer carcinogenesis during the postmenopausal period but not with tumor aggressiveness and p53 overexpression. The p53 overexpression was found to be strongly associated with endometrial cancer aggressiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Tark
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Sokbom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Dae-Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Keun-Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: In-Ae
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yung-Jue
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Jae Weon
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Noh-Hyun
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Soon-Beom
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyo-Pyo
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yong-Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009215:Myometrium / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011379:Prognosis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases