A QUANTITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF IMMUNOCYTOCHEMICALLY STAINED BLOOD-VESSELS IN NORMAL, BENIGN, PREMALIGNANT AND MALIGNANT HUMAN ORAL CHEEK EPITHELIUM

The present study was designed to determine whether increased vascular ity occurs during malignant transformation of human oral cheek epithel ium. Nine normal (N) samples were taken from the resection margins of benign lesions; the pathological lesions were classified as chronic in flammation (CI; n=11), fibrous hyperplasia (FH; n=12), lichen planus ( LIP; n=8), dysplasia (DYS; n=5), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; n=25; w ell differentiated [SCCWD]; n=10; moderately to poorly differentiated [SCCMPD]; n=15) and epithelium adjacent to carcinomas (EAC; n=6). Sect ions were stained with monoclonal antibody (mAb) against vimentin usin g an ABC immunoperoxidase technique. All blood vessels present within a depth of 0.9 mm of lamina propria were quantified irrespective of th eir morphology. The blood vessel parameters quantified were volume den sity (V-VBV,V- (CT)), number per unit area (N-ABV,N- (CT)), length per unit volume (L(VBV,) (CT)) and mean transverse sectional area (A(BV)) , V-VBV,V- (CT) increased significantly between normal and all patholo gical groups. Amongst the pathological groups, statistical differences were detected between CI and SCC, CI and EAC, FH and SCCWD, FH and EA C, LIP and SCC, LIP and EAC, DYS and SCCWD and DYS and EAC. The EAC gr oup had the and the values of N highest V-VBV,V- (CT) and the values o f N-ABV,N- (CT) and L(VBV,) (CT) were significantly higher in all the pathological groups when compared with the normal group. No significan t differences were detected between any of the pathological group. The parameter A(BV) increased significantly between normal and DYS, FH, S CC, EAC, FH and EAC, FH and SCC, CI and EAC, CI and SCC, LIP and EAC a nd LIP and SCC. Spearman rank correlations detected a positive correla tion between the severity of oral lesions and all of the blood vessel parameters. We conclude that a mAb against vimentin improved the ident ification of smaller blood vessels and the blood vessel data suggest t hat angiogenesis occurs in premalignant and malignant lesions of human oral cheek epithelium. Angiogenesis seems to play an essential role i n sustaining the actively growing and transforming cells.