[Relationship of cyclooxygenase 2 expression and chemotherapy response and prognosis in human ovarian carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) and chemotherapy response and prognosis of patients with ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: The expression of COX-2 was detected by immunohistochemistry in ovarian carcinoma tissues. Correlations between COX-2 and clinicopathological markers, therapeutic effect and prognosis of the patients with ovarian carcinoma were analyzed by chi(2) test, Kplan-Meire and Cox model.

Results: COX-2 positive rate of 70 ovarian carcinomas was 60%. Expression of COX-2 was correlated with lymph nodes metastasis only (P = 0.001). There was no correlation between COX-2 and pathohistological types, clinical stage, pathohistological grade, age at diagnosis (P = 0.397, 0.094, 0.275, 0.394). In patients whose serum CA(125) level did not drop to normal after two courses of chemotherapy, the COX-2 positive rate (76%) was significantly higher than in those whose serum CA(125) level decreased obviously (51%, P = 0.042). The positive rate was also higher in patients with recurrent diseases (67%) than in those without recurrence (46%, P = 0.062). In univariate survival analysis, the expression of COX-2 was associated with a significantly reduced median survival time (P = 0.029). In multivariate survival analysis, COX-2 was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival (P = 0.036).

Conclusion: COX-2 expression is correlated with poor chemotherapy response and prognostic outcome. It is an independent prognostic factor of ovarian carcinoma.