Expression and Clinical Significance of ?-catenin and COX-2 in Human Colorectal Carcinoma / 中国医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of ?-catenin and COX-2 in human colorectal carcinoma. Methods [WTBZ]The expression of ?-catenin and COX-2 in 153 colorectal tissue specimens was examined by immunohistochemical technique, and their clinical significance and correlation were statistically analyzed. Results In colorectal adenocarcinoma, the loss of ?-catenin in the cytomembrane was significantly correlated with the differentiated degree, lymph node metastasis and Dukes' stages, while COX-2 overexpression was associated with the Dukes' stages,lymph node metastasis and infiltrating depth. The ectopic expression of ?-catenin was not associated with the COX-2 overexpression. [WTHZ] Conclusion COX-2 and ?-catenin may play a role in the pathogenesis of colorectal adenocarcinoma. The ectopic expression of ?-catenin may be not the main reason of the COX-2 overexpression in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Detection of ?-catenin and COX-2 expression may be helpful for Dukes' staging and evaluating the risk of lymph node metastasis in colorectal adenocarcinoma.