Expression of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 and clinicopathologic features of colorectal cancer in northern Thailand.

ABSTRACT

Two isoforms of cyclooxygenase, COX-1 and COX-2, have been identified and shown to be involved in tumorigenesis. Although, overexpression of COX-2 in human cancers has been repeatedly reported, no data have hitherto been available for Thai patients. To cast light on the role(s) of COX enzymes in the development and progression of colorectal cancers and to determine the incidence of COX-2 overexpression, the expression levels of COX-1 and COX-2 proteins using Western blot analysis in tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues obtained from 44 Thai patients with colorectal cancer. Compared with paired normal tissues, COX-2 was overexpressed in 13 of 44 colorectal tumor tissues (29.5%). Overall, COX-2 levels in colorectal tumor specimens were significantly correlated with histological differentiation, in particular in the tumors with poor differentiation (p<0.05). In addition, overexpression of COX-2 was found more frequently in colorectal tumors with lymphatic invasion, regional lymph node metastasis and larger size, although without statistical significance. In contrast to the relatively consistent alteration in COX-2 expression, the level of COX-1 expression was quite varied in tumor tissues. Forty-eight percent of colorectal tumors exhibited a decreased level of COX-1 in comparison to normal tissues and overexpressed in 23%. Thus both isoforms may both play roles in promoting tumorigenesis. However, there was no significant relationship between the alteration of COX-1 protein levels and any pathological features of tumors.