Clinical significance of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in multiple myeloma.
Several biological and clinical considerations suggest the involvement of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the key enzyme of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, in the pathogenesis and progression of haematological malignancies. Despite the wealth of data concerning COX-2 expression, only limited information is available on multiple myeloma (MM). Using standard immunohistochemistry we therefore evaluated COX-2 protein expression in samples from 57 patients with a primary diagnosis of MM. Time to progression and a variety of clinicopathological features were evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression model. In addition, COX-2 expression was evaluated by staining bone marrow from healthy donors and 11 patients with MGUS. Overall, 31 MM samples (54%) expressed COX-2. Positivity for COX-2 was unrelated to stage or clinical or molecular features of the disease. However, patients with COX-2 positive tumours experienced a significantly shorter time to progression (17 vs 30 months, p = 0.037). In summary, COX-2 is frequently expressed in MM and correlates with shorter progression-free survival.
Trojan
A
A
Multidisciplinary Oncology Centre, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland. andreas.trojan@hospvd.ch
Tinguely
M
M
Vallet
S
S
Seifert
B
B
Jenni
B
B
Zippelius
A
A
Witzens-Harig
M
M
Mechtersheimer
G
G
Ho
Ad
A
Goldschmidt
H
H
Jäger
D
D
Boccadoro
M
M
Ladetto
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis
D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2