COX-2 expression in human breast carcinomas: correlation with clinicopathological features and prognostic molecular markers.
OBJECTIVE
COX-2 is implicated in carcinogenesis and tumour progression in many cancers, including breast cancer. Recently, it has been reported that human breast carcinomas aberrantly express COX-2, and that raised tissue levels of COX-2 may have prognostic value. Patients expressing high levels of COX-2 can develop local recurrence, and have reduced disease-free and disease-related overall survival. The aim of this study was to investigate COX-2 expression in human ductal and lobular breast cancers and its possible association with clinicopathological features and prognostic molecular markers.


METHODS
Cytoplasmic COX-2 expression was detected by means of immunohistochemistry in a series of 91 breast carcinomas with ductal (n = 60) and lobular (n = 31) patterns. COX-2 expression was investigated by multivariate analyses and compared with clinicopathological features.


CONCLUSIONS
COX-2 immune positivity and percentage of positive cells correlated significantly with the size, grading, extent of primary tumour and vascular invasion of carcinoma but not with biological parameters (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human EGF receptor 2). The findings of the present study suggest that COX-2 overexpression in lobular and ductal breast cancers, which correlates with traditional clinico-pathological parameters, may be considered as a negative prognostic marker.
University of Torino, Department of Experimental Medicine and Oncology, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125 Torino, Italy.
Antonella
A
Miglietta
Marina
M
Toselli
Nicoletta
N
Ravarino
Walter
W
Vencia
Andrea
A
Chiecchio
Francesca
F
Bozzo
Manuela
M
Motta
Bruno
B
Torchio
Claudia
C
Bocca
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D011379:Prognosis; D047368:Tumor Burden; D015854:Up-Regulation
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human