Immunohistochemical expression of vegf and her-2 proteins in osteosarcoma biopsies.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the prevalence of erbB-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in osteosarcoma biopsies and to correlate them with possible prognosis factors.


METHODS
Retrospective study conducted at the Hospital do Câncer de Barretos-SP including 27 osteosarcoma biopsies immunohistochemically stained for VEGF and erbB-2. The pathological characteristics were collected from medical records of patients to correlate with markers.


RESULTS
In 27 biopsies, four overexpressed VEGF and three overexpressed erbB-2. Two thirds of patients had no metastases. Almost all patients with overexpression of VEGF showed metastases. Overexpression of erbB-2 was inversely related to the presence of metastases. There was no significant association between markers and prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
We identified a low prevalence of erbB-2 and VEGF in the sample. There was no significant association between overexpression of markers and pathological features. A larger sample and a longer follow-up, in addition to using new laboratory techniques can determine the real expression of VEGF and erbB-2 and its role in osteosarcoma . Level of Evidence III, Case-Control Study.
Orthopedic and Traumatology Service of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Ricardo Gehrke
RG
Becker
Orthopedic and Traumatology Service of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Carlos Roberto
CR
Galia
Pathology Department of Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Barretos, SP, Brazil.
Sandra
S
Morini
Pathology Department of Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, Barretos, SP, Brazil.
Cristiano Ribeiro
CR
Viana
Genes, erbB-2; Immunohistochemistry; Osteosarcoma; Vascular endothelial growth factor A