Expressions and Significance of COX-2 and MMP-9 in Gastric Carcinoma

Objective To study the expressions and significance of cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9) in gastric carcinoma.Methods The expressions of COX-2 and MMP-9 were examined by immunohistochemistry in 56 cases of gastric carcinoma and 20 cases of normal mucosa tissues.Results The expression rates of COX-2 and MMP-9 in gastric carcinoma were 78.6%(44/56) and 66.1%(39/56) respectively,which were significantly higher than those in normal mucosa tissues [The expression rates of COX-2 and MMP-9 were 35.0%(7/20) and 20.0%(4/20) respectively].The expressions of COX-2 and MMP-9 were significantly related to tumor differentiation degree,TNM stage and lymph node metastasis(P0.05),but not related to the age and sex of patients(P0.05).The expression of COX-2 was correlated with MMP-9 expression in gastric carcinoma(P0.05).Conclusion The expressions of COX-2 and MMP-9 are significantly related to biological behavior of gastric carcinoma,and could be valuable indicators for assessing tumor's malignancy and predicting patients' prognosis.