Immunohistochemical study on tumor angiogenic factors in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Background: In order to elucidate the roles of tumor angiogenesis in lung carcinogenesis, the expressions of several angiogenic factors in lung carcinoma tissues were examined.

Materials and methods: Tissue specimens from 112 cases of resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were studied. The expressions of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were examined immunohistochemically. Microvessel density (MVD) was also evaluated.

Results: VEGF-positive cases were observed more frequently in advanced stage lung cancers than in early cancers, and VEGF-positive tumors had higher MVD than VEGF-negative tumors, while such differences were not observed for PD-ECGF. In squamous cell carcinoma, the patients with high-MVD tumor had significantly worse survival than those with low-MVD tumor.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that VEGF plays an important role in angiogenesis of lung cancers, while the contribution of PD-ECGF may be limited.