title: Prognostic significance of intratumour microvessel density and haemoglobin level in carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
abstract: The prognostic significance of intratumour microvessel density (IMD) and haemoglobin (Hb) level was studied in 152 (FIGO stage IB-IIIB) cervical cancer patients before radiotherapy. Patients' age and tumour stage, grade and degree of keratinization were also studied. IMD measurement expressed as the mean vessel count per 1 mm2 was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumour biopsies stained with anti-factor VIII antibody (DAKO Ltd.) using immunohistochemistry and the vascular hot-spot technique. The median age of patients was 55 years (29-80). Median values for IMD and Hb level were: 142.5 (range 56.3-476.6) vessels/mm2 and 129 (range 81-160) gil, respectively. The median time of follow-up was 26 months, with a range of 2-145 months. Tumour stage (p = 0.7009), grade (p = 0.6660) and degree of keratinization (0.2669) were not significant in the Kaplan-Meier univariate analysis. However, patients' age > 50 years (p = 0.0079). high vascularity (IMD > 190.0 vessels/mm2, minimal cut-off point, p = 0.0503) and Hb concentration > 116 g/l (p = 0.0213) were favourable prognostic factors for cervical cancer treated with radiotherapy. In the Cox multivariate analysis only higher vascularity (IMD > 190/mm2 and Hb concentration > 116 g/l were favourable prognostic factors in terms of patients' survival. However, when a Cox analysis was done separately for keratinizing and non-keratinizing tumours, it was found that higher vascularity was significant only for keratinizing, and higher Hb level only for non-keratinizing cancers.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Oncology, Krakow Branch, Poland. z5gasins@cyf-kr.edu.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasinska
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Urbanski
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adamczyk
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pudelek
authors.forename: Bengt K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brahme
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D015993:Life Tables; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D007633:Keratins