B. Zhao et al., Significance of thymidine phosphorylase/platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor in carcinoma of the papilla of vater, JPN J CANC, 91(3), 2000, pp. 331-336
The expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in carcinoma of the papilla
of Vater was studied to clarify its significance in tumor progression and i
n determining prognosis. Fifty-nine cases of surgically resected carcinoma
of the papilla of Vater were studied. Immunohistochemical staining was perf
ormed to evaluate the expression of TP, microvessel count and p53 overexpre
ssion. TP expression was demonstrated in tumor cells in 62.7% (37/59) of th
e cases. A higher frequency of regional lymph node metastasis was found in
TP-positive tumors than in TP-negative tumors (P=0.006). TP-positive tumors
were more advanced than TP-negative tumors with regard to clinical stage (
P=0.035). TP-positive tumors had significantly higher microvessel density (
27.6+/-10.1) than TP-negative tumors (20.4+/-10.0, P=0.01). Moreover, TP ex
pression was significantly correlated with a poor prognosis (P=0.02). These
suggest that in carcinoma of the papilla of Vater, TP production by tumor
cells is correlated with tumor progression through its regulatory effect on
neovascularization.