Cox-2 expression on tissue microarray of breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To measure cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) expression in a series of breast cancers and evaluate its potential as a predictive marker for doxorubicin chemotherapy.


METHODS
Cox-2 expression was analyzed in 178 node-positive patients treated with doxorubicin-based adjuvant chemotherapy by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray (TMA).


RESULTS
Cox-2 was over-expressed in 70 out of the 178 invasive breast cancers. Cox-2 expression was significantly increased in undifferentiated tumors. There was no significant association between Cox-2 over-expression and tumor size, histologic grade, and estrogen receptor expression. Disease-free survival and overall survival of the patients having Cox-2 expressing tumor were significantly decreased when compared with the patients having Cox-2 negative tumor (p=0.009 for DFS, p=0.011 for OS).


CONCLUSIONS
Cox-2 expression may represent an aggressive phenotype of breast cancer which is resistant to doxorubicin.
Park
K
K
Department of Pathology, Inje University, Sanggye Paik Hospital, 761-1, Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul 139-707, South Korea.
Han
S
S
Shin
E
E
Kim
H-J
HJ
Kim
J-Y
JY
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015409:Mastectomy, Radical; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D015996:Survival Rate; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D004317:Doxorubicin; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2