Background. Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are essential for tumour development and progression. However, in colorectal cancer (CRC), the relationship between angiogenesis and clinic outcome is controversial, and the prognostic significance of lymphangiogenesis is not well examined because of the lack of specific marker for lymphatic vessels. Aims.To evaluate blood microvessel density (MVD) following the proposed standard method for MVD assessment given by the first international consensus and lymph vessel density (LVD), and investigate their clinicopathologic and biologic significance in CRC.Methods. MVD and LVD in primary tumours (n = 210), along with their corresponding adjacent normal mucosa (n = 105) and distant normal mucosa (n = 27) specimens, were immunohistochemically examined by using CD31 and D2-40 antibodies.Results. Both MVD and LVD were higher in tumour compared with the corresponding normal mucosa. In tumours, MVD was positively related to particular interesting new cysteine-histidine-rich protein (PINCH) expression (P = 0.006), but not with clinicopathologic variables. LVD, in both intratumoural and peritumoural areas of tumours, was reversely related to Dukes' stage. There was no association between MVD or LVD and patients' survival (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis occurred in CRC development, butwere not related to CRC patient prognosis. PINCH may play a potential role in tumour angiogenesis.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Forty-seven cases of breast cancer were analyzed for estrogen receptors (ERs) by three different techniques: (1) a biochemical assay using isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel; (2) a monoclonal ER immunocytochemical assay (ERICA, Abbott Laboratories Diagnostics Division), and (3) a polyclonal antiestradiol immunohistochemical technique using formalin-fixed tissue. A high level of agreement (85%) was noted between the biochemical assay and ERICA. The ERICA-processed slides showed minimal background staining and were easy to interpret. Compared with the biochemical assay, ERICA achieved a positive predictive value of 86% and a negative predictive value of 82%. In contrast, results from the polyclonal antiestradiol histologic technique did not correlate with biochemical results and showed positive and negative predictive values of 61% and 25%, respectively. The authors conclude that the ERICA technique should prove to be a valuable adjunct to traditional biochemical ER assays.