Expression of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 in human breast cancer

• Published in: Surgery today (Tokyo, Japan) Vol. 33; no. 11; pp. 805 - 811
• Main Authors: Yoshimura, Norio, Sano, Hajime, Okamoto, Masahiko, Akioka, Kiyokazu, Ushigome, Hidetaka, Kadotani, Yayoi, Yoshimura, Rikio, Nobori, Shuji, Higuchi, Atsushi, Ohmori, Yoshihiro, Nakamura, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan 01.11.2003
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Biopsy, Needle; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cohort Studies; Culture Techniques; Cyclooxygenase 1; Cyclooxygenase 2; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Isoenzymes - analysis; Membrane Proteins; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Staging; Prognosis; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases - analysis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sensitivity and Specificity; Statistics, Nonparametric
• ISSN: 0941-1291; 1436-2813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00595-003-2606-3

We investigated the expression of cyclooxygenase (Cox-1 and Cox-2) in mammary tissues from patients with breast cancer. We used reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The cancer cells showed very weak expression of Cox-1, but strong expression of immunoreactive Cox-2. In contrast, immunoreactive Cox-2 was very weak in all of the benign mammary tumors examined, including fibroadenoma (FA) and mastopathy (MP). Immunoreactive Cox-1 was also very weak in these benign tumors. The extent and intensity of immunoreactive Cox-2 polypeptides was significantly greater in the cancer cells than in the FA cells or MP cells. RT-PCR analysis showed enhanced expression of Cox-2, but not Cox-1 in breast cancer tissue, and faint expression of Cox-2 in benign tissue. These results demonstrated that human breast cancer cells generated Cox-2, indicating that Cox-2 might play an important role in the proliferation of breast cancer cells.