Premium
Increased expression of cyclooxygenase‐2 in human salivary gland tumors
Author(s) -
Sakurai Kazunari,
Urade Masahiro,
Noguchi Kazuma,
Kishimoto Hiromitsu,
Ishibashi Miki,
Yasoshima Hitoshi,
Yamamoto Tadashi,
Kubota Akira
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
pathology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.73
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1827
pISSN - 1320-5463
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1827.2001.01280.x
Subject(s) - serous fluid , salivary gland , pathology , immunohistochemistry , mucoepidermoid carcinoma , acinic cell carcinoma , ductal cells , staining , biology , epithelium , medicine
We examined the immunohistochemical localization of cyclooxygenase (COX)‐2 in human salivary gland tumors. Thirty salivary gland adenomas (SGA), 40 salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) and 15 normal salivary glands (NSG) were studied. NSG showed restricted COX‐2 staining only in the epithelial cells of salivary ducts. In contrast, COX‐2 protein was detected in 27 cases of SGA (90%), except for three myoepitheliomas, and in all cases of SGC (100%) at various intensities and in various fashions. Thirteen SGA (43%) and 36 SGC (90%) cases showed strong COX‐2 staining predominantly in tumor cells containing ductal components, as did serous and mucous acinic components of acinic cell carcinomas, mucoepidermoid carcinomas and mucinous carcinomas. These findings may suggest that COX‐2 in salivary gland tumors is expressed in tumor cells derived from pluripotential ductal epithelium that can histologically develop into either serous or mucinous acinar cells.