Tumor angiogenesis and endometrial cancer

Abstract

Increasing importance is given to the clinical significance of the new formation of vessels (angiogenesis) in the course of physiological inflammatory and neoplastic processes. Angiogenesis is best studied in the growth of malignant tumors, since cancer may be regarded as the most important angiogenesis-dependent disease. Vascular endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and capillary formation are stimulated by angiogenic growth factors, which include the proteins vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and transforming growth factor, and eicosanoids synthesized from n-6 fatty acids. Angiogenesis plays an important role in physiological proliferation of the endometrium and formation of corpus luteum in the second half of menstrual cycle. The present study showed that microvessel counts affect prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer. Analysis of angiogenesis in endometrial cancer may be a useful biologic parameter and additional study of neovascularization is required. Tumor angiogenesis is regulated by the balance of stimulators (e.g., VEGF, bFGF) and inhibitors of angiogenesis (e.g., angiostatin, endostatin, angiostatic steroids). Measuring angiogenesis (blood vessel density) and/or its main regulators such as VEGF and bFGF in solid tumors, or the levels of these growth factors in the serum or urine provides new and sensitive markers for tumor progression, metastasis and prognosis.

Keywords

• endometrial neoplasms
• neurovascularization
• pathologic
• neurovascularization
• physiologic
• angiogenesis factor
• prognosis