title: Immunoexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 in primary gastric carcinomas and lymph node metastases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate immunoexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in primary gastric carcinomas and respective lymph node metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry to analyze COX-2 expression was performed on tissue microarray slices obtained from 36 specimens of gastrectomy and satellite lymph nodes from patients with gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunostaining was seen in most cases, and COX-2 expression was higher in lymph node metastases than in corresponding primary gastric tumors of intestinal, diffuse and mixed carcinomas, with a statistically significant difference in the diffuse histotype (P = 0.0108).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COX-2 immunoexpression occurs frequently in primary gastric carcinomas, but higher expression of this enzyme is observed in lymph node metastases of the diffuse histotype.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, 60.430-350 Fortaleza, Brazil. paulo.almeida@ufc.br
authors.forename: Paulo R C
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Francisco V A
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Cássio C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Francisco D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Rocha-Filho
authors.forename: Raul R R P
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Feitosa
authors.forename: Esther A A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Falcão
authors.forename: Belise K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Cavada
authors.forename: Roberto C P
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lima-Júnior
authors.forename: Ronaldo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human