Vascular fractal dimension and total vascular area in the study of oral cancer.
BACKGROUND
Microvessel quantification has been studied extensively as a factor reflecting angiogenesis in various malignant tumors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the vascular fractal dimension and the immunohistochemically positive total vascular area in oral cavity carcinomas in order to assess their potential value as factors reflecting angiogenesis.


METHODS
Histologic sections from 48 carcinomas and 17 nonmalignant mucosa specimens were evaluated by image analysis using fractal analysis software. Total vascular area was also quantified.


RESULTS
Carcinomas presented higher mean values of vascular fractal dimension and total vascular area compared to normal mucosa. The difference for the vascular fractal dimension was statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that vascular fractal dimension could be used as a reliable factor reflecting angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma and that there are several statistically significant correlations among total vascular area, vascular fractal dimension, nuclear size, and clinicopathologic factors.
Goutzanis
Lampros P
LP
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens, Dental School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. lgoutzan@dent.uoa.gr
Papadogeorgakis
Nikolaos
N
Pavlopoulos
Petros M
PM
Petsinis
Vasilis
V
Plochoras
Ioannis
I
Eleftheriadis
Efstathios
E
Pantelidaki
Aikaterini
A
Patsouris
Efstratios
E
Alexandridis
Constantinos
C
D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D017709:Fractals; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D012189:Retrospective Studies