title: Assessment of COX-2 expression presence and severity by immunohistochemical method in patients with chronic active gastritis and intestinal metaplasia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The risk of gastric cancer is increased in patients with intestinal metaplasia. Cyclooxygenase-2 activity is crucial for gastric cancer cell survival and proliferation. We aimed to assess cyclooxygenase-2 expression in patients with intestinal metaplasia or chronic active gastritis and in patients with or without a family history of gastric cancer, i.e. a first-degree relative with gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and six patients with histologically proven intestinal metaplasia, chronic active gastritis or normal gastric mucosa were included. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using the immunoperoxidase method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cyclooxygenase-2 expression was detected in 23.1% of normal gastric mucosa, 70.6% of chronic active gastritis, and 90.5% of intestinal metaplasia patients. Cyclooxygenase-2 expression was significantly higher in intestinal metaplasia than in chronic active gastritis (p=0.018). Cyclooxygenase-2 expression was significantly more severe in the intestinal metaplasia group when compared to the chronic active gastritis group (p=0.017). Severe cyclooxygenase-2 expression (>60% of cells) was more frequent in the intestinal metaplasia group. Cyclooxygenase-2 expression was higher in the Helicobacter pylori-positive group when compared to the Helicobacter pylori-negative group (80.3% vs 57.1%, respectively; p=0.012). Cyclooxygenase-2 expression did not significantly differ according to presence of a first-degree relative with gastric cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with intestinal metaplasia demonstrated increased presence and severity of cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Our findings suggest that cyclooxygenase-2 plays an important role in the stepwise process that eventually leads to gastric cancer. There was no statistically significant difference between the patients with and without a first-degree relative with a history of gastric cancer in terms of cyclooxygenase-2 expression.
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara, Turkey. gcanbaloglu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Gülbanu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Erkan
authors.forename: İpek Işık
authors.initials: İI
authors.lastname: Gönül
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kandılcı
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dursun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005756:Gastritis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2