Correlation of COX-2 and Fp-CAM overexpression in human invasive breast cancer and its impact on survival

Recent studies have demonstrated cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) overexpression in various human malignancies, especially in breast cancer, where COX-2 turned out to be a predictor of poor survival. TO evaluate the relation of COX-2 and Ep-CAM overexpression and its prognostic significance, we performed a retrospective study on 2 12 breast cancer patients with a median foliow-up time of 10.5 years, Overexpression of COX-2 in tumour tissue samples was assessed by immunohistochemistry. COX-2 overexpression was found in 48.6% of the tumour samples and was predictive for poor disease-free and overall survival, Univariate analysis reveaied a strong correlation between COX-2 and Ep-CAM overexpression (P = 0,009). Concurrent COX-2 and Ep-CAM overexpression was present in 21.7% of tumour specimens and had an additive negative impact on disease-free and overall survival. Determination of both tumour markers should help in guiding new therapeutic strategies in patients with invasive breast cancer. (C) 2003 Cancer Research UK.