Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor related to 72-kilodalton metalloproteinase immunostaining in patients with serous ovarian tumors

BACKGROUND, The aim of the current study was to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by neoplastic cells in patient s with serous ovarian tumors. The correlation between neoangiogenesis and 7 2-kilodalton metalloproteinase (MMP2) immunostaining also was evaluated. METHODS. Fifty-eight patients with serous ovarian tumors who were treated a t the Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Ancona University (Ancona, Italy) were used as the study population; 10 women had serous cystoadenoma, 16 women had a serous borderline tumor, and 32 women had invasive cystoade nocarcinoma. Expression of VEGF and MMP2 was evaluated immunohistochemicall y by polyclonal antibody anti-VEGF (dilution, 1:100) and affinity purified, rabbit anti-MMP2, formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue. Positive stain ing was expressed as a percentage of positive cells per 10(3) counted neopl astic cells. RESULTS. Compared with cystoadenomas and borderline tumors, the tessutal VE GF immunostaining was significantly higher in cystoadenocarcinomas, with th e highest values detected in architectural International Federation of Gyne cology and Obstetrics Grade 3 neoplasms (P-2 < 0.001). A direct relation wa s observed between VEGF and MMP2 immunostaining (correlation coefficient, 0 .44; P-2 = 0.013). A relation was found between VEGF expression and disease free survival as evaluated by Cox hazards analysis (P-2 = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS. Neoangiogenesis detected by VEGF immunostaining appears to be a promising indicator of aggressiveness in serous ovarian tumors. In cystoa denocarcinomas, VEGF expression appears to be related to MMP2 index. Cancer 1999; 85:2219-25. (C) 1999 American Cancer Society.