title: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C - a potent risk factor in children diagnosed with stadium 4 neuroblastoma.
abstract: To evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of VEGF-C, CD34 and VEGFR-2 in cancer tissue of children diagnosed with stadium 4 neuroblastoma (NB) and correlate their presence with the survival rate of children diagnosed with that stage of the disease. Eighteen children assigned to stadium 4 composed the study group. Fourteen patients (allocated to stadium 3) formed a control group. VEGF-C, CD34 and VEGFR-2 expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemical assay. Consecutive slides incubated with anti-CD34 and anti-VEGFR-2 antibodies revealed that the two markers were colocalized within endothelial layer of the blood vessels. On the other hand, VEGF-C was expressed exclusively in tumour cells. As demonstrated by Fisher's exact test, the risk of NB treatment failure (progression or relapse) as well as tumour related death, when all the patients were considered, was found to be significant in VEGF-C positive patients. VEGF-C expression in NB constitutes a potent risk factor and may direct future anti-angiogenic treatment strategy. The proximity of VEGF-C and CD34/VEGFR-2 of NB could be the equivalent of a potentially interesting VEGF-C fashion involving a tumour cell invasion into the blood vessels in an early phase of metastases promoting.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Paediatric Oncology, University of Medical Sciences, Poland. mnowicki@amp.edu.pl
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowicki
authors.forename: Aneta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Konwerska
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ostalska-Nowicka
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Derwich
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miskowiak
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kondraciuk
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samulak
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D008024:Ligands; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2