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Tumor-associated Angiogenesis (tumor-associated + angiogenesi)
Selected AbstractsThermographic assessment of tumor growth in mouse xenograftsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 5 2007Chengli Song Abstract In human breast tumors, a 1,2°C increase in skin surface temperature is usually observed at the periphery; it has been proposed that this change is due to the hypervascularity and increased blood flow resulting from tumor-associated angiogenesis. Here we tested the hypothesis that thermal imaging might represent a useful adjunctive technique in monitoring the growth dynamics of human tumor xenografts. Xenografts were established in immunocomprised nude mice using MDA-MB-231 or MCF7 breast cancer cells. We exploited the inherent noncontact and noninvasive advantages of infrared thermography to detect skin surface temperature changes. Continuous thermographic investigation was performed to detect and monitor tumor growth in vivo and high resolution digital images were analyzed to measure the tumor temperature dynamics. In contrast to the skin temperature increases associated with human breast cancer, a consistent temperature decrease was found in the xenograft mice. In one case, a smaller secondary tumor, otherwise undetectable, was clearly evident by thermal imaging. The tumors were cooler than the surrounding tissue with a maximum temperature reduction of 1.5°C for MDA-MB-231 tumor and 3°C for MCF7 tumors observed on day 14. In addition, the temperature of the xenograft tumors decreased progressively as they grew throughout the observation period. It was demonstrated that thermographic imaging could detect temperature changes as small as 0.1°C on the skin surface at an early stage of tumor development. The findings of the study indicate that thermographic imaging might have considerable potential in monitoring human tumor xenografts and their response to anticancer drugs. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Overexpression of c-H-ras p21 is correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor expression and neovascularization in advanced gastric carcinoma ,JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 12 2000Young-Bae Kim Abstract Background and Aims ras Gene and its product (p21) have been reported to be associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is one of the most important angiogenic factors, and tumor-associated angiogenesis. We tried to evaluate the correlation between the expression of c-H-ras gene product p21 and angiogenesis in advanced gastric carcinoma. Methods Immunohistochemical expression of c-H-ras p21 and VEGF was examined in 49 advanced gastric adenocarcinomas. In addition, double immunohistochemical staining was performed using anti-CD34 and anti-Ki-67 antibodies, and the intratumoral microvessel densities and their endothelial proliferative labeling indices were then counted to evaluate the degree of angiogenesis. Results The expression of c-H-ras p21 was demonstrated in 43 out of 49 gastric adenocarcinomas (87.8%). It did not correlate with histologic type, depth of invasion or metastasis. However, the degree of c-H-ras p21 expression was correlated with VEGF. In addition, the degree of c-H-ras p21 expression was correlated with increased intratumoral microvascular density and endothelial proliferative activity. Conclusions We suggest that c-H-ras oncogene product p21 contributes to the upregulation of tumor-associated angiogenesis by the increased production of VEGF in advanced gastric carcinomas. Therefore, treatment involving the targeting of ras oncogene could inhibit solid tumor growth by suppressing tumor-associated angiogenesis. [source] PlGF expression in pre-invasive and invasive lesions of uterine cervix is associated with angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesisAPMIS, Issue 11 2009SHOUHUA YANG Most vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) have been shown to be associated with lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis in various cancers. However, whether placental growth factor (PlGF), a rarely mentioned VEGF member, is involved in the pathogenesis of uterine cervical lesions remains unclear. To address this issue, we examined the relationship between PlGF expression and clinicopathologic variables in patients with pre-invasive and invasive lesions of uterine cervix. Sixty-two cervical specimens were immunostained with PlGF polyclonal antibody to define PlGF expression, and monoclonal antibodies D2-40 and CD34 to evaluate the lymphatic vessel density (LVD) and blood vessel density (BVD) of the lesions. PlGF mRNA level was detected by RT-PCR in all lesions from fresh tissues. We found that the levels of PlGF protein and mRNA expression were related to clinical stages (p < 0.05), but not to other clinicopathologic variables. No significant difference in PlGF expression was observed between squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Increased LVD and BVD were all associated with advanced stages (p < 0.001). Although LVD was strongly correlated with BVD, only high LVD was associated with pelvic lymphatic metastasis. Moreover, the level of PlGF expression was associated with both BVD(r = 0.715, p < 0.001) and LVD(r = 0.321, p < 0.05). Together, our study suggests that PlGF may participate in both tumor-associated angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis of cervical carcinogenesis. [source] Sonic hedgehog derived from human pancreatic cancer cells augments angiogenic function of endothelial progenitor cellsCANCER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2008Madoka Yamazaki Hedgehog signaling is important in the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. Several recent observations suggest the involvement of sonic hedgehog (SHH) in postnatal neovascularization. We identified a novel role for SHH in tumor-associated angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that patched homolog 1 (PTCH1), both a receptor for and transcriptional target of hedgehog signaling, was expressed in a small fraction of endothelial cells within pancreatic cancer, but not in normal pancreatic tissue. When endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) isolated from human peripheral blood were cultured with supernatant from SHH-transfected 293 cells or pancreatic cancer cells, mRNA levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stromal cell-derived factor-1 and angiopoietin-1 were significantly increased, whereas no such induction was observed in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and human dermal microvascular endothelial cell (HMVEC). HUVEC tube formation was stimulated when cocultured with EPC, and preconditioning EPC with supernatant from KP-1 N pancreatic cancer cells highly expressing SHH significantly enhanced the effect. The effect was partially attenuated by specific inhibition of SHH with cyclopamine or a neutralizing antibody. These findings suggest that tumor-derived SHH can induce angiogenesis, and this is mediated by its effects on EPC specifically. Targeting SHH would be a novel therapeutic approach that can inhibit not only proliferation of cancer cells but also EPC-mediated angiogenesis. (Cancer Sci 2008; 99: 1131,1138) [source] |