Expression of nuclear factor-κB and cyclooxygenase-2 in colonic adenomatous polyps and colon cancer by immunohistochemistry

Objective To investigate the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in colonic adenomatous polyps and colon cancer tissues. Methods Thirty -five patients with colon cancer adenomatous polyps, 20 patients with colorectal cancer and 26 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study from January 2014 to June 2016. The levels of NF-κB and COX-2 were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of NF-κB and COX-2 in colonic adenomatous polyps and colon cancer tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results The positive rate of NF-κB and COX-2 in colorectal cancer patients was respectively 80.00% and 85.00%, higher than that in colorectal adenoma (60.00% and 57.10%) (P=0.014) and healthy subjects (23.08% and 19.23%) (P=0.023). There was no significant difference in the expression of NF-κB and COX-2 between ages in colorectal cancer tissues (P=0.451). The expression of NF-κB and COX-2 in colorectal carcinoma was positively correlated with tumor size, depth of invasion, histological grade, lymph node metastasis and Dukes stage (P=0.036). Conclusion NF-κB and COX-2 are highly expressed in colonic adenomatous polyps and colon cancer tissues, and are related to tumor stage, differentiation and lymph node metastasis in colon cancer tissues. Key words: Nuclear factor-κB; Cyclooxygenase-2; Colonic adenomatous polyps; Colon cancer tissue; Disease identification