Comparison of cyclooxygenase-2 and CD44 mRNA expression in colorectal cancer and its relevance for prognosis

Virchows Arch. 2009 Apr;454(4):381-7. doi: 10.1007/s00428-009-0752-8. Epub 2009 Mar 10.

Abstract

This study evaluated CD44 and COX-2 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and analyzed its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics. The prognostic impact on patient survival was compared between the two proteins. CD44 and COX-2 mRNA levels in 42 primary CRCs were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR, with normalization relative to GAPDH. The cycle threshold (Ct) values were measured, and results are expressed as the Ct ratios of CD44 or COX-2 to GAPDH. The COX-2 Ct ratio was much lower in cases of lymphovascular invasion by the tumor than for no invasion (P = 0.004). During follow-up for a median of 40 months, there was no significant difference in the median CD44 Ct ratio between survivors and non-survivors (P = 0.362), whereas the COX-2 Ct ratio was significantly associated with survival at the time of data analysis (P = 0.042). The survival of colorectal cancer patients with a high COX-2 Ct ratio was significantly longer than that of patients with a low COX-2 Ct ratio (P = 0.048). This study suggests that COX-2 expression has a more significant impact than CD44 expression on the survival of CRC patients. Further studies are needed to resolve these issues with a large sample size.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cyclooxygenase 2 / biosynthesis*
  • Cyclooxygenase 2 / genetics
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Humans
  • Hyaluronan Receptors / biosynthesis*
  • Hyaluronan Receptors / genetics
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prognosis
  • RNA, Messenger / biosynthesis*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Hyaluronan Receptors
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Cyclooxygenase 2