Expression and significance of COX-2,VEGF and EGFR in gastric cancer

Objective:To evaluate the expression of COX-2,VEGF and EGFR,the three main angiogenesis related proteins,and the relationship between expression and clinic pathologic parameters in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The expressions of COX-2,VEGF and EGFR in 140 samples of gastric cancer tissues were analyzed with S-P immunohistochemistry,the results were compared with relevant clinical characteristics.Results:The positive rates of cytoplasmic expression of COX-2,VEGF and EGFR were 49.29%,48.86% and 45.71% respectively.Their expression was not correlated with sex,age,size,site of tumor and degree of differentiation(P 0.05).The positive expression rates of COX-2 and EGFR were related to the depth of invasion,clinical stage and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer patients(P 0.05).There was no correlation between VEGF expression and clinical characteristics(P 0.05).A positive correlation was found between expression of COX-2 and VEGF(r = 0.314,P = 0.000).Conclusion:The expression of COX-2 and EGFR was closely related to invasion,metastasis and prognosis of gastric cancer,and they could be used to evaluate the biological behaviors and prognosis of gastric cancer.COX-2 may be accelerate angiogenesis by increasing VEGF expression and can predict prognosis of gastric cancer.