Prognostic role of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in esophageal carcinoma.
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved in esophageal carcinogenesis, but its clinical significance is not clarified yet. The association of several clinicopathological parameters with the immunohistochemical expression of COX-2 was analyzed in paraffin-embedded esophageal cancer specimens. In adenocarcinomas, COX-2 upregulation showed to be a late event and in a multivariate analysis it was associated independently with a reduced survival after surgery compared with low COX-2 expressed tumors (P=0.02). Although, the expression was extensively high in well-differentiated parts of squamous cell carcinoma, it was not related with a poor outcome. This study supports further investigation of selective COX-2 inhibitors in these tumors.
Heeren
Pierre
P
Department of Surgery/Surgical Oncology, University Hospital of Groningen, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
Plukker
John
J
van Dullemen
Hendrik
H
Nap
Raoul
R
Hollema
Harry
H
D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011379:Prognosis; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000235:genetics*; D016019:Survival Analysis
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases