Clinical Significance of Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR) and Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Expression in Human Malignant and Benign Thyroid Lesions

Abstract

Hu-antigen R (HuR) is considered to play a crucial role in tumor formation and growth by binding to mRNAs encoding proteins such as Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducing their expression via mRNA stabilization and/or altered translation. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of HuR and COX-2 proteins’ expression in human benign and malignant thyroid lesions. HuR and COX-2 proteins’ expression was assessed immunohistochemically on paraffin-embedded thyroid tissues obtained from 98 patients with benign (n = 48) and malignant (n = 50) lesions and was statistically analyzed with clinicopathological parameters, follicular cells’ proliferative capacity and recurrence risk rate. Enhanced HuR and COX-2 expression was significantly more frequently observed in malignant compared to benign thyroid lesions (p = 0.0073 and p = 0.0016, respectively), as well as in papillary carcinomas compared to hyperplastic nodules (p = 0.0039 and p = 0.0009, respectively). Positive associations of both HuR and COX-2 expression with follicular cells’ proliferation rate were also noted (p = 0.0087 and p = 0.0127, respectively). In malignant thyroid lesions, elevated COX-2 expression was significantly associated with female patients’ gender (p = 0.0381) and the presence of lymph node metastases (p = 0.0296). The present data support evidence that both HuR and COX-2 may be involved in the malignant state of thyroid neoplasia and may be utilized in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumors.

HuR in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas – overexpression in verified malignant tumors

“…Thus, strong cytoplasmic HuR expression was a marker of metastatic potential in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. Increased HuR protein expression has been evident in many other malignancies, e.g., in breast , ovarian , colorectal , gastric , and oral cancers , in malignant mesothelioma , Merkel cell carcinomas , and thyroid . In most studies, the increased HuR protein expression has been localized to the cytoplasm, and our present findings are in line with that finding.…”

Elevated Hu-Antigen Receptor (HuR) Expression is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and Poor Prognosis but not with COX-2 Expression in Invasive Breast Carcinoma Patients

“…Finally, HuR and COX-2 expression was classified as low; if the total score was 0 or 2 and high; if the total score was ≥3. In this way, we ensure that each group has a more homogeneous and sufficient number of cases in order to be comparable with the other groups [19,36,37,39]. Staining for ER and PR was evaluated according to CAP/ ASCO recommendations, i.e.…”

“…The fraction of HER2 positive stained cells was scored according to CAP/ASCO guidelines [41]. Ki-67 immunoreactivity was classified according to the percentage of positively stained breast cancer cells exceeded the median percentage value into two categories (below and over mean value), as previously reported [19,36,37,39].…”

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene polymorphism in patients withdifferentiated thyroid carcinomas in the Turkish population

“…They concluded that COX-2 overexpression may be an early event in thyroid neoplasm progression, and COX-2 may promote carcinogenesis by inducing it (30). A recent study reported that COX-2 might be associated with malignant thyroid neoplasia and could be used in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumors (31). In vitro studies of thyroid cancer cell lines demonstrated inhibition of proliferation, reduction in cellular migration, and invasion of COX-2 by a selective inhibitor (32,33).…”