The usefulness of vascular endothelial growth factor as a prognostic factor in uterine cervix cancer / 대한산부인과학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the relationship between the VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) expression and histopathologic prognostic factors and 5-year survival rate. METHODS: We examined the expression of the VEGF by immunohistochemical staining in 40 specimens collected from invasive uterine cervix cancer patients. We compared the results of relationship between the VEGF expression and several histopathologic prognostic factors by using Fisher exact test for statistical analysis. RESULTS: All specimens showed low or high immunoreactivity. There was no significant correlation between the expression of the VEGF and histopathologic prognostic factors (p>0.05) except for pathological cell types (p<0.05). Parametrial invasion, the stage and age showed statistically significant correlation with 5 year survival rate (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between the VEGF expression and 5 year survival rate. CONCLUSION: VEGF expression had no relation with prognostic factors except for histopathologic cell types. Its expression may not play an important role in the prognosis of the uterine cervix cancer patients.