Expression of cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in patients with primary laryngeal carcinoma: a tissue microarray study

Abstract

To determine the correlation between expression of cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2, in patients with laryngeal carcinoma. The study included 85 primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cases. Expression was assessed using Envision immunohistochemical stains for cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2. A tissue microarray containing samples from the 85 primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cases was assembled. Immunohistochemical testing for cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2 was performed. Using Pearson correlation, expression of these proteins was compared with the following clinicopathological variables: age, sex, clinical tumour-node-metastasis staging, and prognosis. Three-year survival curves, factored by cyclooxygenase-2, vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression, were generated for overall survival, by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 significantly differed between patients with different pathology, tumour-node-metastasis stage and prognosis. A marked difference in vascular endothelial growth factor expression was seen between two histological grade groups. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 protein statistically significantly differed between patients with different tumour-node-metastasis stages, lymph node metastases and three-year survival rates. The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in laryngeal carcinoma tissue was found to be associated with the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2. Cyclooxygenase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 may act as clinical prognostic indicators of tumour growth and differentiation in laryngeal carcinoma.