The status of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in ductal carcinoma in situ lesions and invasive breast cancer correlates to cyclooxygenase-2 expression in normal breast tissue.
OBJECTIVE
There is a paucity of data on cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in normal breast tissue and on the changes in COX-2 expression from normal tissue via ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions to invasive cancer. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate COX-2 protein expression in normal breast tissue, DCIS, and invasive breast cancer in samples from the same patients.


METHODS
In 39 patients, we investigated and compared COX-2 expression in paired samples of invasive cancer and normal adjacent breast epithelium by immunohistochemistry with a monoclonal COX-2 antibody. Furthermore, in 29 of these cases, we also analyzed a concomitant DCIS lesion.


RESULTS
Patients without COX-2 expression in normal breast tissue also do not express COX-2 in invasive breast cancer and in DCIS lesions, respectively. Conversely, COX-2 expression in normal breast tissue was an indicator for COX-2 expression in the paired breast tumors. There was no significant correlation between COX-2 expression and pathologic tumor stage, nodal status, hormone receptor status, tumor size, grading, and lymphovascular space involvement.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the largest study to date investigating COX-2 in paired samples of breast tumors and normal adjacent breast tissue. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that COX-2 overexpression is an early event in breast carcinogenesis.
Leo
Cornelia
C
Department of Gynecology, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. leo@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Faber
Stefanie
S
Hentschel
Bettina
B
Höckel
Michael
M
Horn
Lars-Christian
LC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001940:Breast / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2