PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF TUMOR MICROVESSEL DENSITY IN CANCER OF THE UTERINE CERVIX STAGE IB TO IIB

High intensity of tumor angiogenesis has been correlated with an incre ased potential of metastasis and poor prognosis in human malignancies. We investigated 43 patients with cervical cancer stages IB (n = 13), IIA (n = 8) and IIB (n = 22). All patients were treated by radical hys terectomy and lymphadenectomy. In the tumor specimen blood vessels wer e high lighted by staining endothelial cells for factor VIII. Microves sels were counted on a 200x field (0.74 mm2) in the most active areas of neovascularisation. The mean microvessel counts per field for stage IB, IIA and IIB tumours were 59.6 +/- 28.1, 56.3 +/- 24.3 and 55.7 +/ - 55.6, respectively (p-value = n.s.). We found no significant correla tion of microvessel density and established prognostic factors like pe lvic lymph node involvement, vascular space invasion and stromal react ion. Patients with tumors showing low microvessel density ( < 40 micro vessels per field) had a significantly poorer recurrence-free interval (log-rank test: p-value = 0.01).