COX-2 Expression in Carcinoma of the Breast and Surrounding Non-neoplastic Breast Tissue

Background: Breast carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor and leading cause of cancer related death in women worldwide. Apart from traditional markers, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and Her-2neu, which are important for prognostication and staging purposes, a novel marker cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is being studied extensively. We intend to study the spectrum of COX-2 expression in normal breast tissue, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) adjacent to invasive cancer, and in invasive cancer and compare COX-2 expression with histological prognostic parameters and hormone receptor status. Methods: The present study is a prospective study that was conducted in the department of Pathology, SGT Medical College and Hospital, Gurugram (2019- 2020). Fifty patients, aged between 21 and 70, suffering from primary breast cancer constituted the study group. Various histological prognostic parameters were assessed. Immunohistochemical profile of the tumor was assessed. COX-2 score was correlated with various clinicopathologic parameters. Results: Among the total of 50 patients suffering from invasive breast carcinoma, 94 percent (47/50) of cases showed the same COX-2 expression level in normal breast epithelium and corresponding tumor areas and this correlation was statistically significant. The correlation between the level of COX-2 expression in tumor and DCIS was highly significant. Conclusion: Inhibition of COX-2 may represent a potential target for preventing breast cancer oncogenesis and as an adjuvant treatment following surgery to reduce local recurrence.