title: Microvessel density and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in clinically localized prostate cancer.
abstract: Identifying biological differences between benign lesions and malignant prostatic cancer (PC) may facilitate precise indication for more aggressive post-operative treatment. Therefore, we examined immunohistochemically histological specimens from 140 PC patients treated with radical surgery. The mean age of the patients was 62.9 ±6.2 (range 49.0-77.0) years. There were 13 (9.3%) at pTNM stage 1, 78 (55.7%) at stage 2, 40 (28.6%) at stage 3 and 9 (6.4%) at stage 4. In the analysed group there were 75 (53.6%) well-differentiated, 53 (37.8 %) moderately differentiated and 12 (8.6%) poorly differentiated tumours. The mean pre-operative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 9.9 ±0.5 ng/ml. Concentration of serum PSA was significantly increased with pTNM stage (p = 0.011), Gleason score (p = 0.011) and tumour grade (p = 0.003). In 34 (24.3%) tumours vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was not shown. In the analysed group of tumours the mean percentage of positive VEGF cells was 14.8 ±1.4% and was not correlated with tumour grade (p = 0.648) or Gleason score (p = 0.697). However, significantly higher values for the protein were observed in pTNM 3 (p = 0.035) and pTNM 4 (P = 0.037) than in pTNM stage 1. In the whole series of tumours the mean microvessel density (MVD) was 97.5 ±2.4 /mm². A non-significant decrease in the number of microvessels was observed in the highest pathological tumour volume (P = 0.631), Gleason score (p = 0.368) and tumour grade (p = 0.233). Prostate-specific antigen level was not associated statistically with either MVD (p = 0.466) or VEGF expression (p = 0.188). There was also no correlation between the immunohistochemical expression of VEGF and MVD (p = 0.925).
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiobiology, Centre of Oncology, Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Łuczyńska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasińska
authors.forename: Wacław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wilk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000254:growth & development*; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D047368:Tumor Burden; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen