[Relationship between cyclooxygenase- 2 expression and angiogenesis in patients with gastric cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate COX-2 expression in patients with gastric cancer and its relationship with angiogenesis and clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer.


METHODS
COX-2 expression and CD34-stained microvessel density (MVD) were detected by immunohistochemical methods in specimens from 96 patients with gastric cancer. The correlations among COX-2 expression, MVD and clinicopathologic features were analyzed.


RESULTS
The COX-2 positive rate and MVD in gastric cancer were significantly higher than those in the normal gastric mucosa (80.2% vs. 13.3%; 32.5+/- 8.3 vs. 13.1+/- 2.4, all P< 0.01). The COX-2 positive rate and MVD in the patients with stage III and IV were significantly higher (91.4% and 34.9+/- 8.7 respectively, P< 0.01), than that in the patients with stage I and II. The COX-2 positive rate and MVD in the cases with lymph node metastasis were 87.9% and (35.0+/- 8.5) respectively, higher than those in the cases without lymph node metastasis (P< 0.05). The Spearman rank correlation test showed a significant correlation between COX-2 expression and tumor MVD (r=0.311, P< 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
COX-2 plays an important role in gastric cancer angiogenesis. COX-2 and angiogenesis induced by COX-2 contribute to tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis.
Sun
Wei-hao
WH
Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China. weihaosun@hotmail.com
Sun
Yun-liang
YL
Fang
Ren-nian
RN
Ou
Xi-long
XL
Xue
Qi-ping
QP
Shao
Yun
Y
Xu
Hai-chen
HC
Cheng
Yun-lin
YL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human