ABSTRACT
The colorectal carcinoma is one of the most prevalent solid tumors in the word. It is the third most frequent tumor in both sexes, being preceded by lung and stomach carcinoma among men and breast and cervix carcinoma among women. In Brazil, the colorectal carcinoma is among the five more usual neoplasias, ranked fifth in mortality. In 1997, an incidence of 8980 new cases among men and 8650 new cases among women was estimated. The colorectal carcinoma has a global survival rate of 40 per cent, and a small increase has been shown in the last 40 years. The prognostic indicators in this type of cancer are the histological differentiation, the depth of invasion and the lymphatic invasion. Molecular and immunohistochemical approaches have been recently made in order to find a new prognostic indicator other than ones mentioned above. The quantitative analysis of tumor angiogenesis, defined as the growth of new capilars toward the tumor, has been shown to have clinical application in the survival and recurrence analysis. 48 patients undergoing surgery of colorectal carcinoma at The First Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology - Hiroshima University School of Medicine - from 1988 to 1991 were retrospectively studie. There was a significative statistical correlation between angiogenesis and the depth of tumor invasion, and it was demonstrated that the tumor spreading activity is supported by angiogenesis. A non-significative statistical association was found between the angiogenesis quantificationm, hematogenic metastasis, survival and clinical-pathological variables such as size and histological differentiation. The standardization of the immunohistochemistry and the methodology of microvascular quantification are fundamental for comparing results and using angiogenesis as a reliable prognostic indicator.