Comparison of COX2 expression in radiation induced Basal Cell Carcinom and non radiation induced Basal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: Radiation-induced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) can be multiple, large, and recurring, which complicates its treatment in some cases.According to reports on the role of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) inhibitors in the treatment or prevention of nonmelanoma skin cancers and considering the fact that COX2 expression has not been evaluated in radiation-induced basal cell carcinoma, we set out to assess the expression of COX2 in these lesions. Methods: In this study, COX2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry using anti-COX2 antibody on paraffin-embedded blocks of 86 patients referred to Emam Reza Hospital in Mashhad with BCC diagnosis in pathological examination (43 patients with and 43 without a history of radiotherapy) followed by semiquantitative evaluation of COX2. Results: In our study, COX2 expression score was significantly higher in patients with a history of radiotherapy than those without radiotherapy (P<0.001). No correlation was found between the intensity and percentage of staining with sex, age, site of lesion, recurrence, and pathology of the tumor. Conclusion: Given the higher expression level of COX2 in the group of radiationinducedBCC patients, the use of COX2 inhibitors in these individuals may be effective upon the incidence, recurrence, or treatment of BCC.

Keywords:

Basal Cell Carcinoma , COX2 , Immunohistochemistry , Radiotherapy