Cyclooxygenase-2 expression in invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity is reported to increase apoptosis, inhibit angiogenesis and reduce metastasis. We analyzed COX-2 expression in patients with invasive bladder cancer to evaluate the feasibility of selective COX-2 inhibitor treatment targeting COX-2. Forty patients with pathologically diagnosed invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (pT2-pT4) were evaluated.