Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase correlates with tumor angiogenesis in endometrial carcinoma.
The present study evaluated the significance of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in 30 patients with endometrial carcinoma and the relationship of those molecular markers to tumor characteristics and microvessel density (MVD). Immunohistochemical expression of COX-2, iNOS, and CD34 was analyzed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. The COX-2 and iNOS positive rates were 66.7% and 73.3%, respectively. The level of COX-2 expression was higher in grade II tumors than in grade III tumors (p < 0.05). The percentage of iNOS positivity was higher in patients with deep myometrial invasion than in patients without or less than 50% myometrial invasion (p < 0.05). There was significant correlation between positive COX-2 and positive iNOS expression (r = 0.601, p < 0.001). Both COX-2 and iNOS were significantly correlated with MVD (r = 0.02 p < 0.05; r = 0.599 p < 0.0001, respectively). The present findings suggest that combined expression of COX-2 and iNOS may play an important role in development and invasion of endometrial cancer and that this could be partially attributable to modulation of angiogenesis by COX-2 and iNOS.
Li
Wei
W
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First People's Hospital Hangzhou, Hangzhou Zhejiang 310006, PR China. wei5901482@163.net
Xu
Ru-jun
RJ
Jiang
Li-hui
LH
Shi
Jingfeng
J
Long
Xiang
X
Fan
Bei
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology
D008565:Membrane Proteins; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases