title: Importance of thymidine phosphorylase expression at the invasive front of T3 rectal cancer as a prognostic factor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) are angiogenic factors. We evaluated the relationship between the degree of expression of binary angiogenic factors and the malignant potential of colorectal cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted in 61 patients with T3 rectal cancer who underwent surgical curative resection between 1998 and 2002. Paraffin-embedded sections of their surgical specimens were immunostained for VEGF and TP. The relationship between the expression level of binary angiogenic factors and lymph node metastasis was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of VEGF was present only in the tumor cells of all patients, and expression was absent in the stromal cells around the invasive front of the tumor. Expression of TP was mainly present in the stromal cells around the cancer nests or around the invasive margin of the cancer. There was no relationship between expression of TP in the stromal cells around the invasive front of the tumor and lymph node metastasis. However, there was a significant relationship between expression of TP at the invasive front of the tumor and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.014). Moreover, TP expression in the tumor cells was the only independent factor that correlated with the postoperative recurrence (p = 0.024) with an odds ratio of 11.973 by multivariate logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression of TP at the invasive front of the tumor may be a useful indicator of the malignant potential of advanced rectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
authors.forename: Hidejiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawahara
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kashiwagi
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanaga
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase