The expressions of cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and their clinical significance in breast cancer tissues of 117 patients

Objective:To analysie the expressions of cyclo-oxygenase-2(COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF-C) and their relationship in breast cancer tissues of 117 patients,and evaluate their relation to clinical-pathology features,lymphatic metastasis and prognosis. Methods: We collected general information and clinical pathological characters in 117 breast cancer patients,then constructed a tissue array composed of paraffin-embedded carcinomas tissues.The expressions of COX-2 and VEGF-C were detected by IHC SP method. Results: The positive expressions of COX-2 and VEGF-C in the 117 breast cancer tissues were 55.8% and 58.1%,respectively,and they showed direct correlation(r=0.356,P0.001).The expression of COX-2 and VEGF-C was positive correlated with clinical stage,lymphatic metastasis and recurrence,but there were no correlation with the size of tumor,progesterone receptor,pathology type or histology grade.The expression of COX-2 was also positive correlated with estrogen receptor and Her-2. Conclusion: In breast cancer tissues,COX-2 and VEGF-C were both highly expressed and they showed direct correlation,so examination of their expression would be useful for the evaluation of prognosis in breast cancer.