Clinical Value of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in Human Breast Carcinoma.
- Author:
Jin Hee AHN
1
;
Sung Bae KIM
;
Sei Hyun AHN
;
Gyung Yub GONG
;
Myung Ju AHN
;
Yoon Koo KANG
;
Jung Shin LEE
;
Woo Kun KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. drjiny@amc.seoul.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Breast neoplasm;
Cyclooxygenase-2;
c-erb-B2;
Angiogenesis
- MeSH:
Antibodies;
Breast Neoplasms*;
Breast*;
Cyclooxygenase 2*;
Disease-Free Survival;
Estrogens;
Humans*;
Lymph Nodes;
Microvessels;
Receptors, Progesterone
- From:Cancer Research and Treatment
2004;36(3):192-198
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To determine whether COX-2 expression is associated with clinicopathological parameters, including c-erb-B2 overexpression and angiogenesis, and the disease- free survival of patients with operable breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tissue samples were selected from 205 patients surgically resected for breast cancer, between 1991 and 1997, and followed- up for at least 4 years. Samples were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies to COX-2, c-erb-B2 and CD34. RESULTS: COX-2 and c-erb-B2 expressions were detected in 118/205 (57.6%) and 58/205 (28.3%) patients, respectively. COX-2 expression was significantly higher in c-erb-B2 positive than c-erb-B2 negative tumors (75.9% vs. 49.7%, p-value 0.001). COX-2 expression was positively correlated with microvessel count (13.3+/-8.0 vs. 6.6+/-7.0, p-value 0.050), but not with other clinicopathological characteristics, including tumor size, involved axil lary lymph nodes and estrogen or progesterone receptor status. Although COX-2 expression itself was not a prognostic marker, breast cancer patients with tumors that co-expressed both COX-2 and c-erb-B2 had a poorer 5-year disease-free survival rate than those that did not (60.2% vs. 78.3%, p-value 0.0527). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that COX-2 expression occurs frequently in c-erb-B2 positive breast cancer, and co-expression of COX-2 and c-erb-B2 may be a useful prognostic marker in patients with operable breast cancer.
