Gastric adenocarcinoma: can perfusion CT help to noninvasively evaluate tumor angiogenesis?

BACKGROUND

Perfusion CT is an attractive technique to assess tumor vascularity, and no studies have addressed the relationship between CT perfusion imaging and gastric tumor angiogenesis with volume-based technique. This study aims to assess the correlation between perfusion CT parameters using a volume-based technique and immunohistochemical markers of angiogenesis in gastric adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

37 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma who completed whole tumor CT perfusion examination with volume-based technique were studied. Post surgical specimens were stained using a polyclonal antibody to VEGF and CD34. Perfusion measurements were correlated with microvessel density (MVD) and VEGF by using Pearson or Spearman rank correlation analysis, in which a P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean MVD of all 37 tumors was 108.9 ± 38.2 vessels/0.723 mm². 70.3% (26 of 37) of tumors expressed VEGF positively. MVD of gastric adenocarcinoma was significantly correlated with blood volume (the Pearson correlation coefficient being 0.420, P = 0.001). No correlations were found between VEGF expression and perfusion CT parameters. There were no significant differences in the parameters between the high and low MVD groups, and between the positive and negative VEGF groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Blood volume was significantly correlated with MVD. It could reflect the angiogenesis in gastric adenocarcinoma.