Adaptative intima fibrosis in blood vessels in cervical carcinomas after preoperative cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Angiogenesis is an important component of tumor growth. After preoperative cytotoxic chemotherapy, tumor blood vessels of a large caliber become increasingly tortuous and their lumens narrow. The narrowing of the vessel lumens results from fibrosis of the intimal layer, which is called adaptative intimal fibrosis (AIF). We describe AIF in three patients with cervical cancer after a complete or partial response to preoperative cytotoxic chemotherapy. Two patients with no residual disease in the surgical specimen had severe AIF and are free of disease at 12 and 124 months. The patient with residual disease had only moderate AIF and developed a recurrence. AIF has not been described in cervical cancer. Our findings suggest that AIF may be a morphologic correlate of tumor regression following preoperative cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
O.
O
Reich
K.
K
Tamussino
M.
M
Lahousen
R.
R
Winter