RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of angiogenesis in bone marrow in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Bone marrow culture supernatant was assayed for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by ELISA, bone marrow biopsies from 28 newly diagnosed AML patients were assayed for microvessel density (MVD), VEGF and its receptors KDR, Flt-1 by immunohistochemical staining before and after induction chemotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Culture supernatant of AML bone marrow mononuclear cells showed higher amount of VEGF (425.31 ng/L) than that of control (140.12 ng/L). The VEGF and KDR expressions and MVD were significantly higher in newly diagnosed AML patients (78.6%, 78.6% and 7.1%, respectively) than that of control group (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between VEGF, KDR and MVD. The positive rate of VEGF, KDR and MVD reduced to normal after the patients achieved complete remission, while in non-remission patients did not. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the survival time was longer in VEGF negative group than in VEGF positive group. The pre-treatment MVD and VEGF had no correlation with survival time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is remarkable angiogenesis in AML and VEGF/KDR signaling pathway takes an important role in the pathological angiogenesis. VEGF could be used as a prognostic factor in AML.</p>