Fujisawa T, Watanabe J, Akaboshi M, Ohno E, Kuramoto H
Department of Clinical Cytology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2001 Nov;127(11):668-74. doi: 10.1007/s004320100273.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)--that activates endothelial cell growth--has been considered to induce angiogenesis, which is indispensable to tumor-genesis and progression. In this study, an immunohistochemical analysis was carried out to clarify the correlation of VEGF expression with angiogenesis, p53 expression--of which the wild-type is considered to suppress VEGF expression--and histologic grade in endometrial carcinoma.
Immunohistochemical staining for detecting VEGF protein, factor VIII-related antigen of endothelial cells, and p53 protein was performed by the labeled streptavidin-biotin method on the formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor tissue of 104 patients with endometrial (endometrioid) carcinoma, including 69 with well-differentiated, 25 with moderately differentiated, and ten with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma.
The labeling index of p53 expression was 19.9+/-28.8% in the high VEGF group, whereas in the low VEGF group it was 12.2+/-17.0%, showing that VEGF expression was significantly correlated with p53 expression (P<0.05). VEGF expression, however, was not correlated with either the number of microvessels in the tumor area or tumor histologic grade.
VEGF expression was not a single specific indicator of angiogenesis in endometrial carcinoma, whereas it was significantly correlated with p53 expression.
血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）可激活内皮细胞生长，一直被认为能诱导血管生成，而血管生成是肿瘤发生和进展所必需的。在本研究中，进行了免疫组化分析，以阐明VEGF表达与血管生成、p53表达（野生型p53被认为可抑制VEGF表达）以及子宫内膜癌组织学分级之间的相关性。
采用标记链霉亲和素-生物素法，对104例子宫内膜（子宫内膜样）癌患者经福尔马林固定、石蜡包埋的肿瘤组织进行免疫组化染色，以检测VEGF蛋白、内皮细胞VIII因子相关抗原和p53蛋白，其中包括69例高分化腺癌、25例中分化腺癌和10例低分化腺癌。
高VEGF组中p53表达的标记指数为19.9±28.8%，而低VEGF组为12.2±17.0%，表明VEGF表达与p53表达显著相关（P<0.05）。然而，VEGF表达与肿瘤区域微血管数量或肿瘤组织学分级均无相关性。
VEGF表达并非子宫内膜癌血管生成的单一特异性指标，但其与p53表达显著相关。
