High Expression of COX-2 Associated with the Depth of Invasion on Acral Melanoma by Increasing TGF-β1

摘要

Acral melanoma (AM) has a poor prognosis since it is easily metastatic and resistant to chemo and immunotherapy. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an enzyme that plays a role in the carcinogenesis process. The increased expression of COX-2 has an impact on increasing levels of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell (MDSC), which is a key regulator of immune. The increase in MDSC produces Transforming Growth Factor β1 (TGF-β1), which will suppress Natural Killer (NK) cells and Dendritic Cells (DC) function so that tumor cells are spared from the immune systems and are easier to invade surrounding tissues.