COX-2 expression and its correlation with VEGF in endometriosis

AIM: To investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX 2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in endometriosis and their correlation with clinicalbiological behavior, and to probe the possible mechanism of their association. METHODS: The expression of COX 2 and VEGF in 32 cases of endometriosis patients was detected by immunohistochemistry methods. RESULTS: The expression of COX 2 and VEGF in endometriosis was 84.3% and 93.8%, respectively, which was significant higher than that of normal endometriosis ( P 0.001). COX 2 and VEGF of eutopic and ectopic endometrium in proliferative phase and secretory phase were 83.3%, 85.7% and 94.4% , 92.9%. The expression of COX 2 was closely correlated with that of VEGF ( r =0.747, P 0.001). CONCLUSION: COX 2 and VEGF may play a key role in endometriosis. Both may have close relation in angiogenesis and may provide new targets for therapy of endometriosis.