Significance and relationship between infiltrating inflammatory cell and tumor angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between infiltrating inflammatory cell and tumor angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and their clinicopathological features.


METHODS
The paraffin-embedded specimens from 70 cases with HCC were stained using EliVision immunohistochemistry with mAbs against CD68, tryptase, and CD34. The counts of tumor-associated macrophage (TAM), mast cell (MC) and tumor microvessel (MV) were performed in the tissue sections.


RESULTS
The mean counts of TAM, MC, and MV in HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in pericarcinomatous liver tissues (TAM: 69.31+/-11.58 vs 40.23+/-10.36; MC:16.74+/-5.67 vs 7.59+/-4.18; MV: 70.11+/-12.45 vs 38.52+/-11.16, P<0.01). The MV count in the patients with metastasis was markedly higher than that with non-metastasis (P<0.01). In addition, the MC count in the patients with poorly differentiated HCC was obviously higher than that with well differentiated HCC (P<0.01). The correlation analysis showed that the TAM count was significantly correlated with the count of MV (r=0.712, P<0.01), and the MC count was obviously correlated with the MV count (r=0.336, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
TAM and MC might be closely related to the enhancement of tumor angiogenesis. The MV count might be associated with tumor invasion and metastasis. Moreover, the MC count might be associated with tumor differentiation and prognosis of HCC.
Peng
Shao-Hua
SH
Department of Pathology, Medical College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410006, Hunan Province, China. pengshaohua2004@sina.com
Deng
Hong
H
Yang
Jian-Feng
JF
Xie
Ping-Ping
PP
Li
Cheng
C
Li
Hao
H
Feng
De-Yun
DY
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology