Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Human Prostate Cancer

Jang, Hoon; Lee, Young Suk; Jo, Sunghwan; Lee, Sang Cheol; Kim, Wun Jae; Lee, Hyung Lae

Abstract

PURPOSE: Recent studies have shown the important roles of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in a variety of cancers derived from epithelial cells, such as human colorectal adenocarcinoma and other tumors, including those of the breast, cervix, and stomach. In this study, we purposed to evaluate the clinical significance of COX-2 expression in prostate cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Tumor specimens from 25 patients, who underwent a transurethral resection (TUR) or radical prostatectomy, were obtained between March 1995 and August 2004 from the Department of Urology, Chungbuk National University Hospital. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues were also acquired from 27 age-matched control patients. Immunohistochemical staining for COX-2 was performed on paraffin embedded specimens, using the anti-human COX-2 monoclonal antibody. The immunoreactivity of COX-2 was scored from 0 to 3 , according to the intensity of the staining.
RESULTS
COX-2 expression was detected in 24 of the 25 tumor samples (96%), but in none of the 27 BPH tissues (p<0.001). There was no significant correlation between the COX-2 expression and Gleason score.
CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that COX-2 is expressed in human prostate cancer, as in other cancers, which supports the possibility that COX-2 might play an important role in the development of human prostate cancer. Further studies will be required to clarify the role of COX-2 in the development and progression of prostate cancer.