title: The utility of an in vitro angiogenesis score for prognosis assessment in patients with cervical cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Angiogenesis plays a key role in tumour growth and metastasis. Expression of angiogenic factors has been suggested as a marker for tumour malignity, and may help to assess a patient's individual prognosis. The present study examines the relationship between angiogenic factor expression, an angiogenesis-based histoscore and clinical tumour criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 81 patients with cervical cancer who underwent follow-up examinations between October 2002, and June 2005, were enrolled, and serum samples were examined for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endostatin and VEGF-Receptor1 by means of an ELISA. Based on an endothelial-cell proliferation assay, an angiogenesis score was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher endostatin and VEGF expressions indicated advanced disease, and VEGF allowed for a reliable distinction between patients with non-invasive and these with recurrent disease. There were some plausible correlations between the angiogenesis score and clinical criteria and individual angiogenic factors, but the score's discriminating power appears to be limited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The utility of angiogenesis factor testing notwithstanding, the value of an angiogenesis score for the identification of patients with a worse prognosis, and thus a resulting benefit from more aggressive treatment, is arguable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. solveiglandt@yahoo.de
authors.forename: Solveig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landt
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heidecke
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korlach
authors.forename: Jens-Uwe
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Blohmer
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lichtenegger
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heusner
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stöblen
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thill
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barinoff
authors.forename: Jalid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sehouli
authors.forename: Sherko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kümmel
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D043169:Endostatins / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D011379:Prognosis; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000097:blood; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D043169:Endostatins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor