EXPRESSION OF PLATELET-DERIVED ENDOTHELIAL-CELL GROWTH-FACTOR (PD-ECGF) AND ITS MESSENGER-RNA IN UTERINE ENDOMETRIAL CANCERS

To determine the potential of growth, invasion and metastasis of uteri ne endometrial cancer cells associated with neovascularization, the ex pressions of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) and its mRNA in uterine endometrial cancers and in normal uterine end ometria as controls were determined and the relationship between their expressions and histological grades, grades of myometrial invasion an d clinical stages of uterine endometrial cancers was analyzed. The lev els of PD-ECGF were significantly higher in uterine endometrial cancer s of well-differentiated grade (GI) with invasion to less than or equa l to 1/2 myometrium (B) and of stage I than in those of moderately and poorly differentiated grades (G2 and G3, respectively) limited to end ometrium (A) and with invasion to >1/2 myometrium (C) and of stages II and III/IV and in normal uterine endometria. There was no significant difference in the levels between uterine endometrial cancers of G2 an d G3, A and C, or stages II and III/IV and normal uterine endometria. Therefore, the active availability of PD-ECGF might contribute to the acceleration of angiogenic activity in the early process of invasion o f well-differentiated uterine endometrial cancers. 1998 Published by E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.