Prognostic Significance of VEGF in Human Stomach Cancer / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis plays an important role in the growth, progression and metastasis of solid tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was thought to be one such angiogenic factor and was also thought to be a selective mitogen for endothelial cells. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate for prognostic significance of VEGF in stomach cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded from 55 stomach cancer were stained immunohistochemically for VEGF. The rate of VEGF expression and correlation between expression of VEGF and other prognostic factor of stomach cancer were studied. RESULTS: There were 20 cases (36.4%) of VEGF-positive and 35 cases (63.6%) of VEGF- negative. There were no significant difference between VEGF expression and the histologic type, differentiation, depth of invasion of histologic stage, lymph node involvement. The frequency of hepatic recurrence was higher in patients with VEGF-positive tumor than that af patient with negative tumor (p=0.007). The prognosis of the patients with VEGF positive tumor was worse than that of patients with VEGF negative tumor (p=0.0214). CONCLUSION: There was a closely significant between positive expression of VEGF and a high incidence of hepatic metastasis, low survival rate. The expression of VEGF could be considered to be one of useful prognostic factor in human gastric carcinoma

VEGF Expression and MVD in Ductal Carcinoma of Breast / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to determine the role of the VEGF and MVD expression in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast and to observe the correlation between the expression of these VEGF/MVD, and other prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of VEGF and MVD with monoclonal antibody in pathologic specimens of 35 patients of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast was carried out. Reiationship between the expression of the VEGF/MVD and prognostic factors were assessed. RESULTS: The VEGF/MVD expression was closely related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage, but not related to histologic grade, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor, and progestrone receptor. And the VEGF expression was closely related to MVD. CONCLUSION: The VEGF expression and microvessel density in infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast may play an important prognostic factors, closely related to the tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and stage.

Analysis of Prognostic Factors in 448 Gastric Cancer Patients Treated with a Gastric Resection

BACKGROUND: Among malignant diseases, gastric cancer remains a major cause of death in Korea. Many variables are considered to be important to the prognosis of patients with gastric carcinomas. METHODS: The authors evaluated the 5-year survival rates and analyzed the prognostic factors in 448 patients with gastric cancer who had under gone a gastric resection during the period between Dec. 1984 and Dec. 1992. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate was 50.5%, and the survival rates according to the stage were stage Ia, 97.4%; Ib, 56.5%; II, 48.4%; IIIa, 41.6%; IIIb, 7.1%; and stage IV, 14.3%. Univariate analysis was used to relate prognostic factors, such as tumor size, gross type, depth of invasion, lymph node involvement, positive lymph node ratio, distant metastasis, complications, the surgical curability, and the TNM stage, with the survival of the patients. In a multivariate analysis using 11 variables, the TNM stage was the most significant prognostic factor. Besides the TNM stage, the depth of invasion, a lymph node involvement, a positive lymph node ratio, and complications were considered as independent prognostic factors influencing survival. CONCLUSIONS: The current TNM staging system appears to be a reasonable one, and the TMN stage of the tumor at the time of surgery is the most important prognostic factor.