Background: In breast cancer cyclooxygenase-2 overexpression is related with poor outcomes, but the clinical relevance of cyclooxygenase-2 is still unclear. Progesterone receptor is a regulator of cyclooxygenase-2 expression. We postulate that progesterone receptor was associated to cyclooxygenase-2 expression and clinicopathologic factors in breast cancer.
Methods: Cyclooxygenase-2 and progesterone receptor expression was analyzed, by immunohistochemistry, in 31 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma.
Results: The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and progesterone receptor was observed in 64.5% and 45.2% of the tumors, respectively. We found 11 tumors with both cyclooxygenase-2 and progesterone receptor overexpression and they are related with tumor lower size and lower axillary node metastasis.
Conclusion: These results suggest that progesterone receptor has a protective role in breast cancer by inhibiting chronic inflammatory pathway.
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