ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the correlation between imaging features of spiral computed tomography(SCT) and pathology, MVD, and the expression of VEGF in renal cell carcinoma(RCC). Methods Thirty patients with RCC diagnosed by pathology underwent SCT examinations.MVD and the expression of VEGF were examined immunohistochemically using SABC techniques. Results The detection and characterization rate as well as accuracy of staging before operation about 30 RCC of multiphasic SCT scans were 100 %, 100 % and 83.3 %, respectively. In 30 cases of RCC, the mean MVD was 36±12.4. The positive expression rate of VEGF were 73.33 %. There were no correlation between the MVD and the expression of VEGF in RCC (r =0.057, P >0.05). The features of SCT: on multiphasic SCT scans, the pathological nuclear grade, the MVD and positive expression of VEGF in groups of RCC with diameter larger than 3.0 cm, central necrosis, pseudocapsule and intravenous tumor emboli were obviously higher than those of the contrast group (P <0.05, P <0.05, P <0.05, respectively). The pathological nuclear grade and MVD in groups of RCC with lymph node metastasis were higher than the contrast group (P <0.05, P <0.05, respectively). There were the positive correlation between the enhanced Hounsfield' s units in the CMP and the MVD in 30 cases of RCC(r =0.784, P <0.05). The degree of enhancement correlated well positively with the MVD in 30cases of RCC (P < 0.05). Conclusion Multiphasic enhanced SCT scan is a reliable technique in the detection, pathologic characterization of RCC. Some SCT features are closely correlated with MVD and expressions of VEGF in RCC, which could be a noninvasive method in predicting aggressiveness and metastasis.