[The correlation of vascular endothelial growth factor with angiogenesis and p53 gene in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Angiogenesis is a fundamental process in tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of angiogenesis and it has been identified in a wide variety of malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, the regulation of VEGF expression in tumor angiogenesis is not well defined. The tumor-suppressor gene p53 is thought to regulate VEGF. In this study, we examined the role of p53 gene in VEGF expression.


METHODS
Clinical records of patients who underwent total or partial laryngectomy between 1999 and 2002 were reviewed. Of these, paraffin-embedded specimens of 27 patients (27 males; mean age 55 years; range 39 to 74 years) with a diagnosis of larynx epidermoid carcinoma were immunostained to evaluate VEGF expression, p53 gene status, and microvessel density (MVD). Variables were statistically examined.


RESULTS
Vascular endothelial growth factor positive staining was detected in 11 (40.7%) and p53 mutations were identified in 16 (60%) tumors. No association was detected between p53 mutations and VEGF expression (p>0.05). Statistical analysis gave a clear correlation between tumor vascularity and VEGF expression (p<0.05). Vascular endothelial growth factor negative tumors showed a lower mean number of microvessels per microscopic field (29.6+/-6.6) than VEGF positive tumors (40.8+/-15.2). P53 and VEGF expression, and MVD were not correlated with the T-stage, N-status, tumor localization, and histological grading (p>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The higher microvessel density in VEGF positive tumors supports the importance of VEGF for tumor angiogenesis in laryngeal carcinoma. However, our results do not support the hypothesis concerning a p53 regulation in the angiogenic process through a VEGF up-regulation.
Yaylaci
Atilay
A
Department of Otolaryngology, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. dratilay@yahoo.com
Cakir
Salih
S
Güneş
Pembegül
P
Akkaynak
Adil Cinar
AC
Naiboğlu
Bariş
B
Gökçeer
Tanju
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016158:Genes, p53 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A