COX-2 messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected in 3 of 4 patients with Dukes' stage A, 13 of 14 patients with Dukes' stage B, and 10 of 11 patients with Dukes' stage C or D. COX-2 mRNA was detected in 5 of 7 patients with proximal cancer and in 21 of 22 patients with distal cancer.
COX-2 protein expression was found in cancer as well as the surrounding stromal cells (including infiltrating inflammatory cells and endothelial cells of tumor-associated microvessels).
COX-2 has been implicated in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) latency and pathogenesis (A. George Paul, N. Sharma-Walia, N. Kerur, C. White, and B. Chandran, Cancer Res.
COX-2 siRNA could inhibit the growth of Capan-2 pancreatic cancer cells and also decrease the tumorigenicity of Capan-2 cells, implicating a new potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer.
COX-2 methylation alteration was associated with the regression of indefinite dysplasia/dysplasia, which might serve as a potential biomarker for chemoprevention efficacy.Cancer .
COX-2 is induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines at the site of inflammation and enhanced COX-2-induced synthesis of prostaglandins stimulates cancer cell proliferation, promotes angiogenesis, inhibits apoptosis, and increases metastatic potential.
COX-2 mediated hypoxia within the TME along with its positive interactions with YAP1 and antiapoptotic mediators are all in favor of cancer cell resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.
Aberrant CpG island methylation, and subsequent silencing of the COX-2 promoter, has been observed in human cancer cell lines and in some human tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
Aberrant upregulation of COX-2 enzyme resulting in accumulation of PGE2 in a cancer cell environment is a marker for progression of many cancers, including breast cancer.