Relationship Between COX-2 Expression And Clinic-pathological Behavior Of Gastric Cancer

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), bcl-2, and ki-67 expression in gastric carcinogenesis and the relationship between their expression and gastric biological behavior and prognosis. METHODSCOX-2 expression in fresh cancer tissues and their corresponding normal tissues was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. Expressions of COX-2, bcl-2 and ki-67 in paraffin-embedded tissues were determined immunohistochemically. RESULTSFifty gastric cancer (6 in the upper third, 12 in the middle third, and 32 in the lower third part of the stomach) and their corresponding adjacent normal tissue specimens were analyzed for COX-2 expression by RT-PCR and Western blot techniques. The results showed that (1) Of the 50 patients 38 (76.0%) had COX-2 over-expression, and rate of COX-2 over-expression in tumors larger than 5 cm in diameter (91.7%) was significantly higher than that in ≤ 5 cm...