Medical Imaging Center, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China (mainland).
Department of Pathology, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2017 Jul 31;23:3706-3714. doi: 10.12659/msm.902957.
BACKGROUND To investigate the correlation between the relative computed tomography (CT) enhancement value and the microvascular architecture in different pathologic subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study included 55 patients with pathologically confirmed RCC. Immunohistochemistry for CD34 was performed for all surgical specimens. Microvascular architecture parameters (density, area, diameter, and perimeter) for the microvessels and the microvessels with lumen were determined. The CT scan was performed during arterial phase or venous phase. The correlation of parameters on CT and tumor angiogenesis was investigated. RESULTS Density of microvessels showed a positive correlation with CT values of tumors, ratios of tumor to cortex, and differences of tumor and medulla, but no correlation with CT value ratio of tumor to aorta or tumor to medulla. CT parameters were positively correlated with microvascular parameters. However, no CT parameter differences between hypo-vascular clear cell RCC and papillary RCC was observed. Strikingly, the density and area of the microvessels were significantly higher in hypo-vascular clear cell RCC than that in papillary RCC, while the density of the microvessels with lumen in the cyst-present RCC was significantly higher than that in the cyst-absent RCC. The values (especially those of microvessels with lumen) of area density, diameter, and perimeter were higher in the capsule-absent RCC than in the capsule-present RCC. CONCLUSIONS The relative CT enhancement value of RCC was associated with vascular architecture parameters including density, area, and perimeter. Quantitative and semi-quantitative parameters on enhanced CT may shed some light on tumor vasculature and function as indicators of the biological behavior of RCC.
研究不同病理亚型肾细胞癌（RCC）相对计算机断层扫描（CT）增强值与微血管结构之间的相关性。
本回顾性研究纳入 55 例经病理证实的 RCC 患者。对所有手术标本均行 CD34 免疫组化染色。确定微血管的微血管结构参数（密度、面积、直径和周长）和有腔微血管。在动脉期或静脉期进行 CT 扫描。研究 CT 参数与肿瘤血管生成的相关性。
微血管密度与肿瘤 CT 值、肿瘤与皮质比、肿瘤与髓质差值呈正相关，与肿瘤与主动脉 CT 值比、肿瘤与髓质 CT 值比无相关性。CT 参数与微血管参数呈正相关。然而，低血供透明细胞 RCC 和乳头状 RCC 之间的 CT 参数无差异。值得注意的是，低血供透明细胞 RCC 中微血管的密度和面积明显高于乳头状 RCC，而囊泡性 RCC 中存在腔的微血管密度明显高于不存在腔的 RCC。囊泡性 RCC 的面积密度、直径和周长的数值（尤其是有腔微血管的数值）高于囊泡性 RCC。
RCC 的相对 CT 增强值与包括密度、面积和周长在内的血管结构参数相关。增强 CT 的定量和半定量参数可能有助于了解肿瘤血管生成，并作为 RCC 生物学行为的指标。
