ABSTRACT
In this study, we have investigated the immunohistochemical expression of endoglin (CD105), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-1) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (c-erbB-2) and their prognostic correlation in 13 cases of cervical adenocarcinomas with mucinous, endometrioid and serous type differentiation. Our study revealed that for uterine cervix adenocarcinoma the most intense angiogenic activity occurs at the invasion front of these tumors. In addition, we noticed a trend towards increased CD105 MVD values in those cases in which were recorded the highest VEGF and c-erbB-2 reactivity. Thus, we concluded that in cervical adenocarcinomas occurs an intense process of angiogenesis, mainly at the invasion front, controlled by interrelations between VEGF and EGFR family members, especially the c-erbB-2 receptor. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether specific angiogenic molecular profiles exist in different histopathological subtypes of uterine adenocarcinomas and which is their impact on prognosis and therapeutic outcomes for these patients.
