title: Correlation between the expression of vegf and survival in osteosarcoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present a series of 50 consecutive patients with non-metastatic extremity osteosarcoma, and attempt to correlate expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein in biopsy tissue to their prognosis regarding overall survival, disease-free survival and local recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty cases of non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities treated between 1986 and 2006 at Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumatologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil, were evaluated regarding expression of the VEGF protein. There were 19 females and 31 males. The mean age was 16 years old (range 5-28 years old) and the mean follow-up was 60.6 months (range 25-167 months). The variables studied were age, gender, anatomic location, type of surgery, surgical margins, tumor size, post chemotherapy necrosis, local recurrence, pulmonary metastasis and death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-six patients showed VEGF expression on 30% or less cells (low), and the remaining 14 cases had VEGF expression above 30% (high). Among the 36 patients with low VEGF expression, nine developed pulmonary metastasis and four died (11.1%). Among the 14 patients with high VEGF expression, six developed pulmonary metastasis and three died (21.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no statistically significant correlation between the expression of VEGF and any of the variables studied. Level of Evidence IV, Therapeutic Study.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Institute of Orthopedics, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Mathias
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Baptista
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Institute of Orthopedics, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Ferrari De França
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Institute of Orthopedics, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renée Zon
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Institute of Orthopedics, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cláudia Regina Gomes Cardim Mendes De
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Department of Pathological Anatomy, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Department of Pathological Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raymundo Soares De
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Azevedo Neto
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil, Institute of Orthopedics, Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Olavo Pires De
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Camargo
keywords: Neovascularization, pathologic; Osteosarcoma; Prognosis