Study Of The Correlation Between MVD,Expression Of COX-2,MMP-2 And Invasion,Metastasis Of Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma

Background and Objective Neovascularization of tumor is the pathological baisis which the growth and metastasis of carcinoma depend on because it not only provides plenty of nutrient to carcinorma but also continuously exports tumor cells to neighboring tissues and organs or to the distants. The last studies indicate that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) play a critical role in the carcinogenesis and the development and metastasis of carcinoma by many pathways. One of the important mechanisms of COX-2 involving in carcinoma is that COX-2 enhances carcinoma angiogenesis. Prostaglandin product of arachidonic acid metabolism catalyzed by COX-2 may be angiogenesis promoter of carcinoma. Matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2) is one of MMP family members which is responsible for the degradation of extracellular matrix(ECM) in the progress of invasion and metastasis of carcinoma as well as angiogenesis. COX-2 may upregulate the expression of MMP-2 in carcinoma both involving in the growth, invasion and metastasis of carcinoma. CD₃₄ is a kind of antigen correlated to small neovascular vessels and intimately to angiogenesis. Potential of cancer invasion and metastasis is increased with increase of carcinoma microvessel density (MVD ). MVD enumerated by investigating the expression of CD₃₄ in carcinoma is the marker evaluating the metastasis, recurrence andprognosis of carcinoma. Up to now, the studies on the correlation between MVD and the expressions of COX-2 and MMP-2 and invasion and metastasis of esophageal squanious cell carcinoma has been rarely reported. The present study investigated the expression of CD₃₄ COX-2 and MMP-2 in esophageal carcinoma in order to analyse the relationship between the growth, invasion and the angiogenesis and expression of COX-2 and MMP-2 as well as their interaction.Materials and Methods 45 cases of surgically resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma samples and correspondingly adjacent tissues were collected. All samples had been proved by means of pathological diagnosis. Immunohistochemical method (Steptavidin/peroxidase SP method) was used to examine the expression of CD34, COX-2 and MMP-2, and calculated the number of microvessels labelled by anti-CDa4 monoclonal antibody to achieve microvessel density (MVD ) in esophageal carcinoma tissues and correspondingly adjacent tissues. x² -tes, t² -test and One-way ANOVA test were used to analyse the data. There is a statistical significance when P value is less than 0.05.Results 1 .In esophageal carcinoma tissues, the positive rate of COX-2 expression 73.3%(33/45)was significantly higher than that of correspondingly adjacent tissues 28.9%(13/45) (P<0.001); 2 . In esophageal adventitia infiltration group and lymph node metastasis group, the positive rates of COX-2 expression 88.0%(22/25) and 90.5%(19/21) respectively were significantly higher than that without adventitia infiltration group and without lymph node metastasis group 55.0% (ll/20)and 58.3% (14/29) respectively (P<0.05); 3 . There were not significant correlations between the expression of COX-2 and the age and gender of patients, the size, and grade of differentiation of esophageal carcinoma (P>0.05); 4 . In esophageal carcinoma tissues, the positive rate of MMP-2 80%(36/45) was significantly higher than that in correspondingly adjacent tissues 31.1%(14/45) (P<0.001); 5 . In adventitia infiltrationgroup and lymph node metastasis group; the positive rates of MMP-2 expression 92%(22/25) and 95.2%( 19/21) respectively were significantly higher than that without adventitia infiltration and without lymph node metastasis 65%(13/20) and 66.7%(16/24) (P <0.05); 6 . There were not correlations between the expression of MMP-2 and the age and gender of patients, the size and grade of differentiation of carcinoma (P>0.05); 7 . The mean MVD in 45 cases of esophageal carcinoma tissues (45.06+16.33), rage from 8 to 82, was significantly higher than that of correspondingly adjacent tissues (31.07?5.38)(p<0.01); 8 . MVD of esophageal carcinoma was related to the si...