Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in lung cancer

OBJECTIVE:To explore the relationship between the expression of COX-2 and pathophysiological features of patients with lung cancer.METHODS:With method of immunohistochemistry, expression of COX-2 protein was detected in lung cancer tissues, corresponding normal paracancerous pulmonary tissues and 16 metastatic lymph nodes of 72 patients with lung cancer.RESULTS:COX-2 was positively expressed in 35 of 72 lung cancer tissues (48.6%), which was significantly higher than the rate,6.9% in paracancerous tissues,χ2=46.239, P=0.000. Patients exhibited much higher COX-2 expression in adenocarcinoma,71.9% than in squmouscarcinoma,42.8%,χ2=5.173,P=0.023, and no expression in the small-cell lung cancer group. No significant correlation was found among COX-2 expression level, patient age, smoking history, differentiation grade of tumor cells, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis,P0.05 (P=0.354,0.052,0.490,0.658,0.587,0.726).CONCLUSIONS:Increased expression of COX-2 may play an important role in the oncogenesis and development of non-small cell lung cancer.