SIGNIFICANCE OF VESSEL COUNT AND VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR AND ITS RECEPTOR (KDR) IN INTESTINAL-TYPE GASTRIC-CANCER

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis and depends on the production of angiogenic factors by host and/or tumor cells, Th e role of angiogenesis and angiogenic factor expression in intestinal- and diffuse-type gastric cancer are undefined, Archival specimens of 51 intestinal-type and 38 diffuse-type human gastric carcinomas were e xamined for tumor vessel counts, angiogenic factor expression, and the presence or absence of angiogenic factor receptors on tumor endotheli um using antibodies against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors (KDR and flt-1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFG F) and its receptors (bek and flg), and factor VIII (endothelial cells ), Vessel count and VEGF and bFGF expression were higher in intestinal -type than in diffuse-type gastric cancers (P = 0.01, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively), Similarly, vessel count and VEGF expression w ere higher in patients with liver metastasis than in patients with per itoneal dissemination (P = 0.003 and P = 0.01, respectively), Vessel c ount correlated with VEGF expression and the presence of endothelial K DR in intestinal-type gastric cancer (P = 0.003 and P = 0.02, respecti vely) but not diffuse-type gastric cancer, Vessel count, VEGF expressi on, and presence of endothelial KDR increased with increasing stage of disease in intestinal-type gastric cancer but not diffuse-type gastri c cancer, The expression of bFGF and its receptors did not correlate w ith vessel count in either cancer type, These findings suggest that th e pattern of metastasis in intestinal-type gastric cancer is angiogene sis dependent, The correlation of VEGF expression and its endothelial receptor with vessel count and stage of disease suggests that VEGF is at least one of the factors responsible for the induction of angiogene sis in intestinal-type gastric cancer.