The prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs)-A and -B and their receptor, VEGFR-1, in invasive breast carcinoma.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Vascular endothelial growth factors A and B (VEGF-A and VEGF-B) play a major role in angiogenesis and activate VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR-1). However, the clinicopathologic and clinical value of VEGF-B and VEGFR-1 in invasive breast carcinoma remains unclear.

METHODS:

We immunohistochemically examined the expression pattern of VEGF-A, VEGF-B and VEGFR-1 in 177 invasive breast carcinomas in relation to clinicopathological parameters, p53, c-erbB2 proteins expression and patients' survival.

RESULTS:

VEGF-A, VEGF-B and VEGFR-1 were immunodetected predominantly in the cytoplasm of the malignant cells. None of the studied markers correlated with any of the clinicopathological parameters, other than stromal VEGFR-1 which inversely correlated with PR (p=0.021). Cancerous VEGF-A and stromal VEGFR-1 were positively related to p53 (p=0.016 and p=0.033, respectively). Cancerous VEGF-B was positively associated with c-erbB-2 (p=0.045) and was found to exert an unfavorable impact on both disease-free and the overall survival of the node-positive patients (p=0.05 and p=0.029, respectively). Cancerous VEGFR-1 was recognized as being an independent poor prognostic indicator (p=0.037).

CONCLUSION:

These findings suggest that, while VEGF-B seems to be useful as a prognostic indicator only in node-positive patients, VEGFR-1 may be an independent poor prognosticator in patients with invasive breast carcinoma.

• Authors: Eleni Mylona, Paraskevi Alexandrou, Ioanna Giannopoulou, George Liapis, Markaki Sofia, Antonios Keramopoulos, Lydia Nakopoulou
• Journal: Gynecologic oncology (Gynecol Oncol) Vol. 104 Issue 3 Pg. 557-63 (Mar 2007) ISSN: 0090-8258 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17150246 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• TP53 protein, human
• Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
• VEGFA protein, human
• VEGFB protein, human
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B
• Receptor, ErbB-2
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1

Topics

• Breast Neoplasms (metabolism, pathology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Neoplasm Invasiveness
• Predictive Value of Tests
• Prognosis
• Receptor, ErbB-2 (biosynthesis)
• Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 (biosynthesis)
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (biosynthesis)
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B (biosynthesis)
• Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 (biosynthesis)