The clinical significance of tumor cell-lined vasculature in ovarian carcinoma: implications for anti-vasculogenic therapy.
Vasculogenic mimicry reflects the plasticity of aggressive tumor cells that express vascular cell markers and line tumor vasculature; such has been demonstrated in aggressive ovarian carcinoma. This study measured the clinical significance of tumor cell-lined vasculature in ovarian carcinomas (n=77), which was detected in 23 (29.8%) tumors. The data show that tumor cell-lined vasculature was associated with aggressive tumor features and with shorter overall survival (p<0.001). Cox proportional hazards model revealed that tumor cell-lined vasculature (p=0.002) was independently associated with poor survival. This is the first study demonstrating the clinical implications of tumor cell-lined vasculature in ovarian carcinoma.
Sood
Anil K
AK
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard-Unit 440, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. asood@mdanderson.org
Fletcher
Mavis S
MS
Zahn
Chris M
CM
Gruman
Lynn M
LM
Coffin
Jeremy E
JE
Seftor
Elisbeth A
EA
Hendrix
Mary J C
MJ
D018284:Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate