Vascular endothelial growth factor and intratumoral microvessel density as prognostic factors in endometrial cancer

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the VEGF A expression in tumor cells and the intratumoral microvessel density and their prognostic significance in the survival of the subjects. 87 subjects were monitored retrospectively for a period of 60 to 132 months. The subjects were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Osijek University Hospital Center, Croatia. We analysed standard clinical, pathohistological and therapeutical prognostic factors, intratumoral microvessel density and expression of VEGF A. Five-year survival was calculated by the life chart method and presented graphically by Kaplan-Meier curves. Reaching conclusions on statistical hypotheses in this paper was done with a reliability level p < 0.05. Of the analyzed clinical prognostic factors, those which proved to be statistically significant and independent prognostic factors were age and clinical stage of the disease, and of pathohistologic ones it was the depth of myometrial invasion and VEGF expression. An elevated VEGF expression is associated with deep myometrial invasion, poorly differentiated tumors, histologic type and intratumoral microvessel density to a statistically significant degree. Elevated VEGF expression, age, FIGO stage and depth of myometrial invasion play a significant prognostic role in patients with endometrial cancer. VEGF receptors could be a target for adjuvant therapy in VEGF positive endometrial cancer.