title: Prognostic significance of angiogenesis in human pancreatic cancer.
abstract: To evaluate whether angiogenic factors are of clinical relevance to actual human pancreatic cancers, we studied the intratumoral microvessel density (IMD), and PD-ECGF, VEGF protein expression in 40 pancreatic cancers using immunohistochemistry. We also investigated PD-ECGF and VEGF gene expression using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR). Of the 40 pancreatic cancers studied, 30 carcinomas (75.0%) were evaluated to be PD-ECGF-positive and 10 carcinomas (25.0%) were determined to be PD-ECGF-negative. In contrast, 27 carcinomas (67.5%) were evaluated to be VEGF-positive, whereas 13 carcinomas (32.5%) were VEGF-negative. VEGF gene expression was moderately associated with an increase in the IMD (r2 = 0.181, P = 0.006), but no significant relationship was found between PD-ECGF gene expression and the IMD (r2 = 0.093, P = 0.059). However, tumours with positive expression for both PD-ECGF and VEGF had a higher IMD (P = 0.027). The results of the immunohistochemistry agreed well with the results of the quantitative RT-PCR. The median survival time of the hypervascular group was significantly shorter than that of the hypovascular group (P < 0.0001). In comparing the survival according to PD-ECGF and VEGF gene expression, the median survival time of the patients with positive PD-ECGF expression was significantly shorter than those with negative PD-ECGF expression (P = 0.040). Furthermore, the median survival time of the patients with positive VEGF expression was significantly shorter than those with negative VEGF expression (P = 0.048). However, the Cox multivariate analysis indicated that the IMD and VEGF expression were independent prognostic factors of the various clinicopathologic variables in pancreatic cancer patients (P = 0.0021 and P = 0.0443, respectively).
authors: Department V of Oncology, Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Osaka, Japan.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Ikeda
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Adachi
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Taki
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Huang
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Hashida
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Takabayashi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Sho
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Nakajima
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Kanehiro
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Hisanaga
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Nakano
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Miyake
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase