Study Of The Role Of COX-2, Ki-67 And MVD In Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Of Breast Cancer

Objective: To examine the expression of COX-2,Ki-67,MVD and their relationships to responses in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), and to assess the potential role of COX-2,Ki-67 as predictors of the response to NACT in a series of patients with breast cancer.Methods: For immunohistochemical analysis, breast cancer tissue samples were collected before NACT and after NACT from January 2005 to March 2007 of our hospital. The expression of COX-2,Ki-67 and MVD was examined by immunohistochemical staining with Rabbit anti-COX-2 monoclonal antibody, Mouse anti-Ki-67 monoclonal antibody and Mouse CD34 monoclonal antibody respectively.Results: Among the 48 evaluable patients,6(12.5%) patients showed complete remission , 28 (58.3%) showed partial remission, 12 (25.0%) showed stable disease and 2(4.2%) showed disease progression. The overall response rate to NACT was 70.8%,overall Clinical Benefit rate was 95.8%. Among COX-2 positive patients, the response rate was 60.0% while among the negative ones it was 88.9%(p<0.05).Among Ki-67 high expressed patients, the response rate of NACT was 82.4%,while among Ki-67 low expressed patients, it was 42.9%,P<0.05. Before NACT, the Ki-67 index was (46.81±23.17)%; while it was (33.23±18.11)% after NACT, P<0.05. the MVD was(32.21±7.80)% before NACT, and it was (28.77±10.01)% after NACT, P<0.05.Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be of choice for local advanced breast cancer.COX-2 and Ki-67 can act as prediction indexes which have responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer, may be reference markers of clinical effect and prognosis.NACT can significantly change the expression of COX-2 in breast cancer to suppress tumor progression. NACT can significantly slow down Ki-67 index, inhibit tumor cell proliferation. NACT can download the MVD in breast cancer , suppress tumor vascularization.