Clinical significance of expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in pleural effusion

Abstract

Objective To assess the significance of COX-2 and VEGF in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pleural effusions by detecting their levels in pleural effusion. Methods Fifty-eight cases of pleural effusion were collected at our hospital, including 48 cases of malignant pleural effusion and 10 cases of benign pleural effusion. Expression levels of COX-2 and VEGF in pleural effusions were detected by ELISA and compared between benign and malignant pleural effusions. Results The expression levels of COX-2 and VEGF had no significant association with gender or age in both 48 cases of malignant pleural effusion and 10 cases of benign pleural effusion (P>0.05). The average COX-2 and VEGF levels were (788.04 ± 128.85) U/L and (365.27 ± 80.63) ng/L, respectively, in the malignant pleural effusion group, and the corresponding values in the benign pleural effusion group were (366.92 ± 41.08) U/L and (114.67 ± 15.69) ng/L. COX-2 and VEGF levels in malignant pleural effusion were significantly higher than those in benign pleural effusion (P<0.001). Conclusion COX-2 and VEGF expression levels are higher in malignant pleural effusion than in benign pleural effusion, and they may serve as prognostic factors to distinguish between benign and malignant pleural effusions. Key words: Cyclooxygenase-2; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Pleural effusion; Tumor