Overexpression of Cyctooxygenase-2 Gene and Its Clinical Significance in Human Endometrial Carcinoma.

Objective: To study the expression of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene in endometrial carcinoma and its significance in the carcinogenesis and development of endometrial carcinoma. Methods: The expression of COX-2 mRNA was examined in cancerous tissues and adjacent normal endometrial tissue of 30 patients with endometrial carcinoma and in 15 benign uterine tumors by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Estrogen receptors of 30 endometrial carcinomas were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Enhanced expression of COX-2 was observed in ninety percent of endometrial carcinoma tissue. The difference of COX-2 mRNA expression among endometrial carcinoma, normal endometrial tissues, and benign tumor was significant (P0.05) and the difference of that between estrogen receptor negative and positive was also observed (P0.01). Conclusions:The expression level of COX-2 mRNA is obviously higher in endometrial carcinoma tissue than in normal tissue. The expression of COX-2 in hormone-dependent endometrial carcinoma is higher than that in non-hormone-dependent endometrial carcinoma. The overexpression of COX-2 may play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis and development of cancer in patients with endometrial carcinoma.