title: Loss of vascular adhesion protein-1 expression in intratumoral microvessels of human skin melanoma.
abstract: Intratumoral vessels are different both structurally and phenotypically, and this may have clinical significance. In this study we analysed the expression of an adhesion molecule--vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1)--in melanoma-associated blood vessels in 28 primary skin melanoma cases using immunocytochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy. We have found that VAP-1 protein expression is significantly decreased in intratumoral vessels compared with peritumoral ones; this difference was independent of the tumour thickness. Loss of VAP-1 protein expression occurred in both endothelial and smooth muscle cell components. Unlike in other cancer types, the VAP-1 protein expression of intratumoral vessels did not correlate with the density of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes or dendritic cells. On the other hand, the 5-year survival of melanoma patients with low VAP-1 protein expression in intratumoral blood vessels (< or =25%) was lower (26.3%) than in patients whose VAP-1 expression was higher (42.6%, P=0.0632). These results support the idea that the phenotype of intratumoral blood vessels is important in the progression of malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tumor Progression, National Institute of Oncology, Ráth György u 7-9, H-1122 Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Csaba
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Forster-Horváth
authors.forename: Balázs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Döme
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paku
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ladányi
authors.forename: Beáta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Somlai
authors.forename: Sirpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jalkanen
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tímár
mesh_terms: D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) / Q000378:metabolism*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000098:blood supply*; D008833:Microcirculation; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; C076668:AOC3 protein, human; D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)