HIF1a expression in bronchial biopsies correlates with tumor microvascular saturation determined using optical spectroscopy.
Tumor hypoxia is generally considered to be related to aggressive behaviour of a tumor. As in lung cancer direct determination of oxygenation is difficult, hypoxia-related proteins have been studied. A number of studies on these proteins show different results and the usefulness of these protein expressions remains questionable. In this article, we relate one of these hypoxia-related proteins (hypoxia-inducible factor, HIF1a) to a direct in vivo spectroscopic measurement of tumor blood saturation performed during bronchoscopy. Seventeen samples from malignancies and non-malignant tissues were studied. Microvascular saturation levels in the no malignancy group equalled 87+/-11.5% (range 71-100%) and in the malignant group 43+/-21% (range 6-63%). This difference was statistically significant (p<0.0002). There was a significant difference in the spectroscopically determined saturations between the biopsies with negative expression of HIF1a and the biopsies with positive expression of HIF1a (p<0.005). From these data, it can be concluded that HIF1a expression is related to a low microvascular blood saturation as determined in vivo by optical spectroscopy. This study may lead to a better acceptance of the usage of different techniques to establish hypoxia in order to study the effect of hypoxia on therapeutic interventions and prognosis of lung cancer.
Aerts
J G J V
JG
Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Amphia Hospital, Breda, The Netherlands. j.aerts@sfg.nl
Amelink
A
A
van der Leest
C
C
Hegmans
J P J J
JP
Hemmes
A
A
den Hamer
B
B
Sterenborg
H C J M
HC
Hoogsteden
H C
HC
Lambrecht
B N
BN
D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002196:Capillaries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism*; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit