Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Pathology Department, Ghaem Hospital, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

4 Radiology Department, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran

Abstract

Background: 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 non-melanoma 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 paraffinembedded blocks of 86 patients referred to Emam Reza Hospital
in Mashhad with BCC diagnosis by pathological examination (43 patients with and 43 without a history of radiotherapy) followed by semi-quantitative 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 radiation-induced BCC patients, the use of COX2 inhibitors in these individuals may be effective in the incidence, recurrence, or treatment of BCC.

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