Immunohistochemical study on VEGF expression in endometrial carcinoma – comparison with p53 expression, angiogenesis, and tumor histologic grade

Objective: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) – that activates endothelial cell growth – has been considered to induce angiogenesis, which is indispensable to tumor-genesis and progression. In this study, an immunohistochemical analysis was carried out to clarify the correlation of VEGF expression with angiogenesis, p53 expression – of which the wild-type is considered to suppress VEGF expression – and histologic grade in endometrial carcinoma. Study design: Immunohistochemical staining for detecting VEGF protein, factor VIII-related antigen of endothelial cells, and p53 protein was performed by the labeled streptavidin-biotin method on the formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor tissue of 104 patients with endometrial (endometrioid) carcinoma, including 69 with well-differentiated, 25 with moderately differentiated, and ten with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Results: The labeling index of p53 expression was 19.9±28.8% in the high VEGF group, whereas in the low VEGF group it was 12.2±17.0%, showing that VEGF expression was significantly correlated with p53 expression (P<0.05). VEGF expression, however, was not correlated with either the number of microvessels in the tumor area or tumor histologic grade. Conclusion: VEGF expression was not a single specific indicator of angiogenesis in endometrial carcinoma, whereas it was significantly correlated with p53 expression.