VASCULAR-PERMEABILITY FACTOR (VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR) EXPRESSION AND ANGIOGENESIS IN CERVICAL NEOPLASIA

Background: Angiogenesis is a critical factor in the progression of so lid tumors, including cervical cancers, The mechanisms reponsible for angiogenesis in cervical neoplasia, however, are not well defined, Pur pose: Our goal was to determine the relationship between angiogenesis and the expression of the angiogenic cytokine vascular permeability fa ctor (VPF), also known as vascular endothelial growth factor, and its receptors in cervical neoplasia, Methods: Sixty-six cervical biopsy sp ecimens were evaluated; among these, 16 samples were designated as ben ign, 17 as low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, 18 as high-grad e squamous intraepithelial lesions, and 15 as invasive squamous cell c arcinomas, Histologic sections immunostained for factor VIII-related a ntigen were evaluated quantitatively for microvessel density and for t he presence of epithelial-stromal vascular cuffing, Sections were also evaluated for VPF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression by in situ hybridiz ation, Results: VPF mRNA expression, epithelial-stromal vascular cuffi ng, and microvessel density counts were significantly increased in inv asive carcinoma and in high-grade intraepithelial lesions as compared with low-grade intraepithelial lesions and benign squamous epithelium. Vascular cuffing and increased microvessel density counts were also s ignificantly associated with increased VPF mRNA expression, Conclusion s: These observations suggest that VPF is an important angiogenic fact or in cervical neoplasia.