Objective： The purpose of this study was to evaluate cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2） expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） and its correlation with clinicopathologic features, angiogenesis, and prognosis. Methods： The expressions of COX-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） and microvascular density （MVD） were determined with immunohistochemical methods in eighty-six NPC patients followed up over 5 years. Results： Sixty-three tumors （73.3%） were classified as COX-2 positive. COX-2 expression was positively related to VEGF expression （r=0.438, P〈0.01） and correlated with the tumor pathological grade, extent of primary lesion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and shorter survival. Conclusion： Our results suggest that COX-2, being highly expressed and strongly correlated with angiogenesis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, is apt to be used as a predictor of prognosis, including local recurrence and distant metastasis.
