Cyclooxygenase-2 and c-erbB-2 expression in uterine cervical neoplasm assessed using tissue microarrays.
OBJECTIVE
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and c-erbB-2 are involved in the pathogenesis of solid organ tumors. Chemotherapeutic agents targeting COX-2 and c-erbB-2 are used to treat colon and breast cancers. This study evaluated the significance and relationship of COX-2 and c-erbB-2 protein expression in untreated uterine cervical neoplasm.


METHODS
This study included 332 patients with uterine cervical neoplasm. We constructed tissue microarray blocks that included two cores from each donor tumor and immunostained them with primary anti-cyclooxygenase-2 and anti-c-erbB-2 monoclonal antibodies. The clinical features and survival data were compared.


RESULTS
Three hundred and eighteen tumor samples (95.8%) could be interpreted after immunohistochemical staining. COX-2 protein expression was noted in 140 cases of uterine cervical neoplasm (44.0%): In 26.7% of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III (16/60 cases), 37.9% of the microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma (39/103 cases), 51.6% of the invasive squamous cell carcinoma (64/124 cases), and 76.2% of the adenocarcinomas (16/21 cases) (P < 0.005). By contrast, except for one case of adenoid cystic carcinoma, none of the uterine cervical neoplasm expressed c-erbB-2 protein. COX-2 protein expression correlated with histology (P < 0.005) and stage (P < 0.05), but was not associated with patient survival.


CONCLUSIONS
COX-2 may participate in the progression of cervical squamous cell lesions, while the contribution of c-erbB-2 to cervical carcinogenesis is probably small.
Kim
Jung Yeon
JY
Department of Pathology, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Inje University School of Medicine, 761-1 Sanggye 7-dong, Nowon-Gu, Seoul 139-707, South Korea. pck2973@unitel.co.kr
Lim
Sung Jig
SJ
Park
Kyeongmee
K
Lee
Chul-Min
CM
Kim
Juree
J
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human