Abstract:Objective To investigate the relationship of expression of cyclooxygenase2(COX2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with the growth pattern,malignant degree,metastasis and prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor(GIST).
Methods The expression of COX2 and VEGF was examined with immunohistochemistry from paraffinembedded tissue sections of 54 patients with GIST, and special attention was given to analyze the relationship between COX2、VEGF expressions and clinicopathologic factors of the neoplasm.
Results The expression of COX2 and VEGF was significantly higher in malignant GIST than in benign and potentially malignant GIST (P<0.05).A significant positive correlation was found between COX2 and VEGF（r=0.6667）.Meantime, the expression of COX2 and VEGF was significantly associated with pattern of tumor growth, tumor size and central necrosis(P<0.05). Furthermore, the 5year postoperative survival rates of patients with high expressions of COX2 and VEGF were significantly lower than those of patients with low expressions of the two markers ( P<0.01).
Conclusions Expression of COX2 and VEGF in GIST is closely related to tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. COX2 and VEGF can be used as objective parameters to judge the characteristics, malignant degree, metastasis and prognosis of GIST.