두경부 편평세포암종에서 VEGF(vascular endothelial growth factor)의 발현 및 신생혈관생성

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenesis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background and Objectives : Angiogenesis within malignant tumors has been considered to be essential for the growth and expansion of cancer cells, especially for solid tumors, and has been implicated in the overall growth and metastases of tumors. Such angiogenesis within tumors depends upon the secretion of vascular growth factor to allow the growth of newly formed vessels from peripheral tissue into the malignant tumor. %n, an exploration of the relations between cancer cells and vascular growth factors is absolutely critical to understanding the growth of malignant tumors. According to recent reports, vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) has been found to play a role in lymphatic metastases, tumor recurrence and survival in various human tumors. To evaluate the role of VEGF in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC) we performed this study. Materials and Methods : We examined the expression of VEGF and microvessel density in 39 HNSCC by immunohistochemistry and correlated them with various clinical data such as stage, cervical lymphatic metastasis, recurrence, and overall survival. Results : The expression of VEGF was not correlated with overall stage, T stage and N stage. There was no statistical correlation between the expression of VEGF and recurrence in the Primary site, cervical lymph node, and the distant metastases. There was no statistical correlation between the expression of VEGF and microvessel density. Conclusion : Based on these results, it is suggested that the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor is not a major prognostic factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Further studies are needed to evaluate significance of VEGF expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.