ENHANCED EXPRESSION OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH-FACTOR IN HUMAN PANCREATIC-CANCER CORRELATES WITH LOCAL DISEASE PROGRESSION

Vascular endothelial growth Factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic polypeptide that has been implicated in cancer growth, In the present study, we c haracterized VEGF expression in cultured human pancreatic cancer cell lines and determined whether the presence VEGF in human pancreatic can cers is associated with enhanced neovascularization or altered clinico pathological characteristics. VEGF mRNA transcripts were present in al l six tested cell lines (ASPC-1, CAPAN-1, MIA-PaCa-2, PANG-I, COLO-357 , and T3M4). Immunoblotting with a highly specific anti-VEGF antibody revealed the presence of VEGF protein in all of the cell lines, Northe rn blot analysis of total RNA revealed a 5.2-fold increase in VEGF mRN A transcript in the cancer samples in comparison with the normal pancr eas, Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization analysis confirmed the expression of VEGF in the cancer cells within the tumor mass, Immu nohistochemical analysis of 75 pancreatic cancer tissues revealed the presence of strong VEGF immunoreactivity in the cancer cells in 64% of the cancer tissues, The presence of VEGF in these cells was associate d with increased blood vessel number, larger tumor size, and enhanced local spread but not with decreased patient survival, These findings i ndicate that VEGF is commonly overexpressed in human pancreatic cancer s and that this factor mag contribute to the angiogenic process and tu mor growth in this disorder.