Overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 as a biomarker in different subtypes of the oral lichenoid disease

Oral lichen planus: an update on its pathogenesis

“…Cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) is an enzyme for inflammatory processes and cellular proliferation, the overexpression of which may represent a marker for malignant neoplasias, tumor growth, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and inhibition of apoptosis. Cortés‐Ramírez et al . analyzed COX‐2 expression in 44 samples from different subtypes of OLD and demonstrated that differences in COX‐2 expression in subtypes of OLD may distinguish cases with a higher premalignant potential.…”

ecancermedicalscience

“…As in the current study, Cortés et al [7] found increased COX-2 expression in the inflammatory infiltrate of lichenoid lesions, although it could also be observed at the epithelial level. In the current study, this epithelial pattern was most often observed in cases of OLP.…”

“…In the oral cavity, various types of lesions, including OLP, oral leukoplakia, and submucous fibrosis have malignant potential. However, the factors which influence the transformation of OLP to squamous carcinoma cells are not yet fully elucidated [7]. For Lin et al [19] , the COX-2-765C allele was a risk factor in oral leukoplakia which progressed to malignancy.…”

“…Cortés et al [7] documented that COX-2 expression was higher in OLR lesions than in OLP lesions. Our study contradicts these results.…”

“…Overexpression of COX-2 is important in tumour growth, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and inhibition of apoptosis, all important steps in the development of cancer. The increased expression of COX-2 has been reported in pre-cancerous lesions, in several forms of cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma and in OLP [7]. …”