Expression of cyclooxygenase-1 in human breast cancer and its significance

Objective To study the expression of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) in human breast cancer and its effect on tumor angiogenesis. Methods The expressions of COX-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected in the tissue samples from 61 cases of breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. Results The positive rate of COX-1 expression was 60.7% (37/61) in breast cancer and the expression of COX-1 was significantly associated with that of VEGF(P=0.026). COX-1 expression was markedly increased in the patients whose tumor size was less than 2 cm or who had stage Ⅰ disease (P 0.05). Conclusions COX-1 is highly expressed in breast cancer and plays a role in early oncogenesis of the neoplasma. VEGF may be one of the most important factors for angiogenesis in the cancer mediated by COX-1, which provides a clinical support for the use of NSAIDs in prophylaxis of breast cancer.