title: Immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in canine mammary tumours.
abstract: The histopathological and clinical aspects of canine mammary tumours (CMTs) have been widely studied, but the variation in the biological behaviour of these neoplasms hampers the identification of prognostic factors. Sustained angiogenesis has been suggested to be one of the most important factors underlying tumour growth and invasion. This process involves the action of several growth factors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The present study characterizes the relationship between immunohistochemical expression of VEGF and gross (e.g. size and tissue fixation) and microscopical (e.g. type, growth, necrosis, lymphoid infiltration, lymph node metastasis, histological grade and proliferation index) features of CMTs. Forty-eight benign and 64 malignant CMTs were evaluated. Statistical analysis failed to show a significant relationship between VEGF expression and the pathological features, suggesting that VEGF expression occurs in both benign and malignant tumours and is independent of histological type, proliferation, tissue invasion or local metastatic capacity.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar, 2, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: A A F
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: C C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: I F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.forename: C M F B
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: F R M
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Gärtner
authors.forename: A J F
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Matos
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D015674:Mammary Neoplasms, Animal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A