Ovarian cancer-related angiogenesis is a complex process orchestrated by many positive and negative regulators. Many
growth factors are involved in the development of the
tumor-associated vasculature, and from these,
endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (
EG-VEGF) seems to play a crucial role.
EG-VEGF is the first organ-specific
angiogenic factor and its effects are restricted to the endothelial cells of the endocrine glands. Although
EG-VEGF was detected in both normal and neoplastic ovaries, its clinical significance remains controversial. In the present study, we analyzed 30 patients with
epithelial ovarian cancer, and the immunohistochemical expression of
EG-VEGF was compared with the conventional clinico-pathological parameters of prognosis. Neoplastic cells of the ovarian
carcinoma expressed
EG-VEGF in 73.33% of the cases, as a cytoplasmic granular product of reaction. We found a strong correlation between the expression of
EG-VEGF at
protein level and
tumor stage, grade, and microscopic type. The expression of
EG-VEGF was found in patients with stage III and IV, but not in stage II. The majority of serous
adenocarcinoma, half of the cases with clear cell
carcinoma and two cases with
endometrioid carcinoma showed definite expression in
tumor cells. No positive reaction was found in the cases with
mucinous carcinoma. Our results showed that
EG-VEGF expression is an
indicator not only of the advanced stage, but also of
ovarian cancer progression. Based on these data, we concluded that
EG-VEGF expression in
tumor cells of the
epithelial ovarian cancer is a good marker of unfavorable prognosis and could be an attractive therapeutic target in patients with advanced-stage
tumors, refractory conventional
chemotherapy.