VESSEL COUNTS AND VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR EXPRESSION IN PANCREATIC ADENOCARCINOMA

Angiogenesis is essential for growth and metastasis of solid malignanc ies. In several tumours, tumour vessel count and expression of vascula r endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic factor, have b een associated with prognosis. To determine if vessel count and VEGF e xpression are prognostic factors in pancreatic cancer, we examined the se parameters in resected tumour specimens from 22 patients who did no t receive pre-operative therapy. Paraffin-embedded tumour specimens we re immunohistochemically stained for factor VIII (surrogate for vessel s) and VEGF. Vessel counts and VEGF expression were evaluated without knowledge of patient outcome. The median follow-up for the entire grou p had not been reached as of 23.1 months (range 10-69 months). The mea n vessel count and VEGF expression were no different between those pat ients who had recurrences and those who did not. By linear regression analysis, the correlation of VEGF expression with vessel count did not reach statistical significance (P=0.0685). Survival and time to recur rence were similar in patients with high and low vessel counts and VEG F expression of 1,2 or 3. Tumour differentiation or lymph node positiv ity had no effect on either VEGF expression or vessel count. Our data suggest that, in contrast to findings in other solid malignancies, ves sel count and VEGF expression are not predictors of survival or recurr ence in patients with resectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas.