[Expression and correlation of cyclooxygenase-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma-].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Expression and correlation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHOD: In this study, expression levels of COX-2, VEGF were examined in 58 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 38 patients with inflammation in nasopharyngeal mucosa by immunohistochemistry method. RESULT: The expression of COX-2, VEGF were higher in nasopharyngeal carcinoma than those in nasopharyngeal mucosa (P < 0.05), and they had some correlation with the invasion and lymphatic metastasis and with the clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (P < 0.05). The expression of COX-2 was positively correlated with that of VEGF (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The coexpression of COX-2 and VEGF may play animportant role in the carcinogenesis and development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and they may prom (see text) lymph node metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.