Investigation of Cyclooxygenase-2 Gene Polymorphism in Patients with Gastric Cancer and Healthy Individuals in Northern Iran

Background: Gastric cancer is one of themost common types of cancer in the world. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a pro-inflammatory enzyme and an important mediator of tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between COX-2 gene polymorphism and the risk of developing gastric cancer. Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 150 patients with gastric cancer and 150 healthy individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted using a modified method of protein precipitation at high salt concentrations. Polymorphisms of the COX-2 gene were investigated by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results: In this study, the frequency of GG genotype and CC genotype was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer and healthy individuals, respectively (P 0.05). However, the frequency of CC genotype did not significantly differ between the 2 study groups. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the homozygous GG genotype of COX-2 is significantly more frequent in patients with gastric cancer compared to healthy individuals. This could indicate the possible role of COX-2 in the development or progression of gastric cancer.