Angiogenesis and skin carcinomas with skull base invasion: a case-control study.
BACKGROUND
Some skin carcinomas may be very aggressive. Intensity of angiogenesis, measured by intratumoral vessel density using expression of CD34, has been associated with tumor aggressiveness. In this study, the expression of CD34 in basal cell carcinomas ( BCCs) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) with skull base invasion was compared with that in tumors with good outcome.


METHODS
Expression of CD34 was graded as mild, moderate, and intense, in 24 BCCs and 11 SCCs with skull base invasion. The control group included 23 BCCs and 10 SCCs.


RESULTS
Intense expression of CD34 was noted in 25.00% of BCCs with skull base invasion, compared with 4.35% in the control group (p =.058). Regarding SCCs, intense expression of CD34 was found in 54.55% of aggressive tumors, compared with 10.00% in the control group (p =.133).


CONCLUSIONS
A trend toward denser microvascular angiogenesis was observed in both BCCs and SCCs with skull base invasion compared with less aggressive controls.
Cernea
Claudio R
CR
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. cerneamd@uol.com.br
Ferraz
Alberto R
AR
de Castro
Inês V
IV
Sotto
Miriam N
MN
Logullo
Angela F
AF
Bacchi
Carlos E
CE
Potenza
André S
AS
D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D019291:Skull Base