COX-2: a target for prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer

Abstract

Esophageal cancer is the third most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract and the sixth most common cancer worldwide [ [1] Stewart B.W. Kleihues P. World Cancer Report. IARC Press, Lyon, France2003 Google Scholar ]. The disease has a high fatality rate, with more than 335,000 deaths occurring each year worldwide [ [1] Stewart B.W. Kleihues P. World Cancer Report. IARC Press, Lyon, France2003 Google Scholar ]. In the United States, approximately 12,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, and the overall survival rate ranges from 5% to 10%. Most patients cannot be cured by current treatment modalities, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and combinations thereof. Given the dismal prognosis of this neoplasm, the development of preventive and/or novel treatment strategies is essential. This review reports epidemiological, experimental and early clinical evidence indicating that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs), represents a potential molecular target for the treatment and/or and prevention of esophageal cancer.