ASSOCIATION OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR EXPRESSION WITH TUMOR ANGIOGENESIS, SURVIVAL AND THYMIDINE PHOSPHORYLASE PLATELET-DERIVEDENDOTHELIAL-CELL GROWTH-FACTOR EXPRESSION IN HUMAN COLORECTAL-CANCER/

To examine the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF ) expression with tumor angiogenesis, survival and thymidine phosphory lase/platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (dThdPase/PD-ECGF ) expression in human colorectal cancer, immunohistochemical studies w ere performed on 136 cases of resected colorectal cancer specimens usi ng antibodies for VEGF, KDR, CD34 and dThdPase/PD-ECGF. Fifty-nine cas es (43%) were evaluated as positive for VEGF staining and 71 cases (52 %) were evaluated as positive for dThdPase/PD-ECGF staining. The expre ssion of VEGF correlated significantly with vessel counts and the expr ession of dThdPase/PD-ECGF (P = 0.01 and 0.01, respectively). Cox prop ortional hazards model analysis showed that vessel counts and VEGF exp ression were significant and independent prognostic factors, but that KDR expression was not. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.