Background & objective: Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)increased in most tumor tissues. Inhibitors of both COX-2 and MMP-2 have been experimentally and clinically proved effective against the development of tumor. Our study was designed to investigate the expression of COX-2 and MMP-2, and the effect of those proteins on lymphoid metastasis and prognosis of lung cancer.
Methods: SP immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of COX-2 and MMP-2 in 42 patients with lung cancer. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test were used to compare the survival time of positive staining group and negative staining group.
Results: The positive rate of COX-2 was 31%, and that of MMP-2 was 62%. The survival time in positive COX-2 group was significantly shorter than that in negative COX-2 group (P=0.019). The lymphoid metastasis rate of positive MMP-2 group was significantly higher than that of negative MMP-2 group (P=0.009). The survival time in positive MMP-2 group was significantly shorter than that in negative MMP-2 group (P=0.001). No relationship was found between the expression of COX-2 and MMP-2 (P=0.257).
Conclusion: The expression of COX-2 and MMP-2 are closely correlate with the prognosis of lung cancer, and the over-expression of those proteins suggest poor prognosis in patients with lung cancer.