Table 1 Clinicopathological data and cyclo‐oxygenase‐2 expression in node‐negative breast cancers.
| Parameter investigated | COX‐2 negative, n = 64 (56.68%) | COX‐2 positive, n = 49 (43.4%) | p Value (χ2 analysis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tumour type (n = 113) | NS | ||
| Invasive ductal | 49 (43.4) | 37 (32.7) | |
| Invasive lobular | 12 (10.6) | 3 (2.7) | |
| Mucinous/tubulo‐lobular | 2 (1.8) | 6 (5.4) | |
| Others | 1(0.9) | 3 (2.7) | |
| Grading (n = 113) | 0.004 | ||
| Well | 21 (18.6) | 4 (3.5) | |
| Moderate | 28 (24.8) | 34 (30.1) | |
| Poor | 15 (13.3) | 11 (9.7) | |
| Oestrogen receptor status (n = 107) | NS | ||
| Positive | 36 (33.6) | 30 (28) | |
| Negative | 25 (23.42) | 16 (15) | |
| HerceptTest/FISH* (n = 110) | NS | ||
| Negative | 52 (47.3) | 39 (35.5) | |
| Positive | 10 (9.1) | 9 (8.2) | |
| Mitotic rate (n = 113) | NS | ||
| 0–8 | 35 (31) | 18 (15.9) | |
| 9–16 | 15 (13.3) | 21 (18.6) | |
| >16 | 14 (12.4) | 10 (8.8) | |
| pAkt (308) (n = 95) | NS | ||
| Negative | 20 (28.4) | 30 (21.1) | |
| Positive | 21 (22.1) | 24 (25.3) | |
| pAkt (473) (n = 113) | NS | ||
| Negative | 21 (21.1) | 19 (31.6) | |
| Positive | 43 (38.12) | 30 (26.5) | |
| Tumour size (n = 113) | NS | ||
| pT1(a,b,c) | 40 (35.4) | 24 (21.2) | |
| pT2 | 23 (20.4) | 25(22.1) | |
| pT3 | 1 (0.9) | 0 (0) | |
| pERK1/2 (n = 110) | NS | ||
| Negative | 8 (7.3) | 6 (5.5) | |
| Intermediate | 15 (13.6) | 20 (18.2) | |
| Strong | 38 (34.5) | 23 (20.9) | |
| pp38 (n = 92) | |||
| Negative | 9 (9.8) | 7 (7.6) | NS |
| Intermediate | 25 (27.2) | 22 (23.9) | |
| Strong | 16 (17.4) | 13 (14.1) |
COX, cyclo‐oxygenase; ERK, extracellular regulated kinase; FISH, fluorescent in situ hybridisation; NS, not significant; pAkt, phospho‐Akt; pERK, phospho‐ERK; pp38, phospho‐p38.
*FISH of all immunohistochemistry 2+ tumours was carried out. Cases without amplification were classified as negative.