Increased Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression Associated with Inflammatory Cellular Infiltration in Elderly Patients with Vulvar Cancer

摘要

As the relationship between inflammation and carcinogene sis grows stronger, the role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and epidermal growth factor (EGFR) has been highlighted in the pathogenesis and pro gression of human cancer. In view of the fact that vulvar cancer is char acterized by precancerous inflammatory changes in elderly patients, the expressions of COX-2 and EGFR are expected to show different patterns of distribution according to age and other prognostic factors. To verify whether there was a relationship between their expression and clinico pathologic parameters in vulvar cancer, we investigated the inflamma tory cellular infiltration and the expression of COX-2 and EGFR by im munohistochemical analysis. Eleven of 19 samples (57.8%) were stained positive for COX-2, and 17 (89.4%) for EGFR. The portion of inflam matory cellular infiltration in adjacent normal tissue was also higher in the older age group, and showed a strong correlation with COX-2 pos itivity (P = 0.002). Furthermore, COX-2 expression was significantly more frequent in patients over 60 years of age compared to those under 50 years (P = 0.009). COX-2 expression was noted to be high in moderate and well-differentiated cases, whereas, poorly differentiated carcinoma was negative for COX-2 expression (P = 0.023).