pRb2/p130 and VEGF expression in endometrial carcinoma in relation to angiogenesis and histopathologic tumor grade.
OBJECTIVE
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy. Established prognostic factors are histologic grade, depth of myometrial invasion, and extrauterine spread including retroperitoneal lymph node metastases. Tumorigenesis is a multistep process involving different genetic changes resulting in uncontrolled cellular proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and enhanced vascular proliferation among other events. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from a preexisting vascular network, is necessary for invasive tumor growth and metastasis and constitutes an important point in the control of cancer progression. The pathogenesis of the angiogenetic phenotype may involve the inactivation of different tumor suppressor genes.


METHODS
We investigated the relationship between the expression levels of VEGF and the retinoblastoma family member pRb2/p130 in endometrial carcinoma in relation to histopathologic tumor grade in a cohort of 50 patients.


RESULTS
We found that VEGF and pRB2/p130 expression were inversely correlated. Additionally, high grade tumors presented a significantly lower number of cells expressing pRb2/p130 when compared to low grade tumors. A significant positive correlation was found, by means of the Spearman coefficient, between VEGF expression and binary grading (0.450, p-value < 0.005) which is an architectural grading system that uses low-magnification assessment of amount of solid growth, pattern of invasion, and presence of necrosis to divide endometrioid carcinomas into low- and high-grade tumors. Additionally, we also found a negative correlation between pRb2/p130 expression levels and binary grading (-0.595, p-value < 0.005). Interestingly, we also found that VEGF and pRb2/p130 expression levels were not related to staging (p-value > 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
These results open up a new perspective including novel markers that, combined together, may be useful in patient screening for endometrial cancer aggressiveness.
Sanseverino
Francesca
F
Department of Gynecology, University of Siena, Nuovo Policlinico "Le Scotte",Siena, Italy.
Santopietro
Rosa
R
Torricelli
Michela
M
D'Andrilli
Giuseppina
G
Russo
Giuseppe
G
Cevenini
Gabriele
G
Bovicelli
Alessandro
A
Leoncini
Lorenzo
L
Scambia
Giovanni
G
Petraglia
Felice
F
Claudio
Pier Paolo
PP
Giordano
Antonio
A
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D050717:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p130 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D050717:Retinoblastoma-Like Protein p130; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A