RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Angiogenesis is a critical factor in the progression of solid tumors. The mechanisms responsible for angiogenesis in cervical neoplasia, however, are not well defined. Our study was aimed to determine the expression of VEGF(Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), its receptor(KDR), and TGF-beta1(Transforming Growth Factor-beta1) in cervical neoplasia, to determine the role of these angiogenic factors in preinvasive(dysplastic) process and the progression of cervical cancer and to investigate the progression of angiogenesis in the transition from normal cervix to invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. METHODS: The cervical lesions of 76 patients were punch biopsied and paraffin embedded. Among these, 5 were normal cervix, 36 were cervical intraepithelial lesion I-III, and the other 35 were invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The tissues were immunostained with antiVEGF, antiKDR, and antiTGF-beta1 polyclonal antibody. RESULTS: The expression of VEGF, KDR, and TGF-beta1 in CIN III was stronger than those of CIN I(p0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that VEGF, KDR, and TGF-beta1 are important angiogenic factors in cervical neoplasia, especially in an early event to neoplastic transformation of cervical tissues, but these angiogenic factors are not associated with the progression of cervical cancer.