title: Lymphatic vessels and related factors in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland.
abstract: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland preferentially metastasizes to distant organs. It rarely metastasizes to lymph nodes. Recently, lymphangiogenesis has been associated with lymph node metastasis. Therefore, lymphangiogenesis in adenoid cystic carcinoma was evaluated from the number of lymphatic vessels and the expression of lymphangiogenic factors. Immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis were performed on clinical materials (29 cases for immunohistochemistry and 9 cases for molecular analysis). Normal submandibular gland was used as a negative control of lymphangiogenesis (10 cases for immunohistochemistry and 5 cases for molecular analysis). In adenoid cystic carcinoma, podoplanin-positive lymphatic vessels were small and often constricted, and localized to the tumor periphery. They did not have Ki67-positive endothelial cells. The lymphatic vessel density of the tumor did not exceed that of the salivary gland. By reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, adenoid cystic carcinoma and the salivary gland expressed vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) similarly but VEGF-C and VEGF-D differently. Adenoid cystic carcinoma expressed VEGF-C, whereas the salivary gland expressed both VEGF-C and VEGF-D. VEGF-C was weak in adenoid cystic carcinoma and strong in the salivary gland. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of VEGF-C showed that the ratio of the tumor to the salivary gland was 1 to 30 (P<0.01). Immunohistochemistry barely detected VEGF-C in adenoid cystic carcinoma. VEGF-C was expressed faintly by the tumor cells. VEGF-C and VEGF-D were detected in the serous acinar and duct cells and in the duct contents in the salivary gland. VEGFR-3 appeared to be expressed by lymphatic vessels in both adenoid cystic carcinoma and the salivary gland. These results indicate that lymphangiogenesis does not occur in adenoid cystic carcinoma. This condition would lead to the uncommon lymphatic metastasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Gentaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Sunao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Mitsunobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kishino
authors.forename: So-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toyosawa
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yura
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000096:biosynthesis; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000096:biosynthesis; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000098853:Podoplanin
chemical_list: D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3; C117468:PDPN protein, human; D000098853:Podoplanin