Cyclooxygenase-2 and VEGF were closely correlated with each other, and both of them appear to play a role in the angiogenesis of ovarian endometriosis.
We examined stage-specific expression of aromatase, COX-2, ER, and PR isoform expression in eutopic endometrium, implants, peritoneum, and endometrioma samples from endometriosis patients.
Our findings confirm that angiogenesis occurs following the culture of endometrial tissue in the 3D fibrin matrix, and suggests that Gd and COX-2 might play important roles in promoting neovascularization and cell proliferation in the establishment of endometriosis.
COX-2 over-expression may be a result of the malignant transformation of endometriosis to endometrioid type ovarian cancer or may represent an interaction between the two cellular components.
In patients with severe endometriosis who underwent fertility-sparing complete ablation, COX-2 overexpression characterizes a subgroup of patients with lower risk of relapse and longer relapse-free survival.
Elevated Cox-2 expression in stromal cells in eutopic endometrium from patients with deep endometriosis may play a role in severe, endometriosis-related dysmenorrhea.