Comparison of blood neoangiogenesis and lymphatic vascularization in colorectal adenomas from patients with and without concomitant colorectal cancer

Abstract

Blood and lymphatic vessel proliferation is essential for tumor growth and progression. Most colorectal carcinomas develop from adenomas (adenoma-carcinoma sequence) in a process due to accumulation of molecular genetic alterations. About 5% of adenomatous polyps are expected to become malignant, but data on the differential angiogenic patterns of these lesions in patients with and without concomitant cancer are missing. The aim of the present study is to compare the angiogenic and lymphatic patterns of adenomatous polyps from patients with and without sporadic cancer. Thirty adenomatous polyps (15 from patients with another principal malignant lesion, and 15 from patients without cancer) were submitted to immunohistochemical staining for CD105 (marker for neoangiogenesis) and D2-40 (marker for lymphatic endothelium). Microvessel density and total vascular area were determined by computer image analysis to quantify the immunostained and total areas, and to assess the number of microvessels. Adenomas from patients with carcinoma showed significantly higher values of total vascular area determined by immunostaining for CD105 (cutoff value = 4386 μm 2 ; P = 0.019) and of lymphatic microvessel density determined by immunostaining with D2-40 (cutoff value = 11.5; P = 0.041) when compared with those from patients without cancer. The present data indicate a significant increase in blood microvascular area and in lymphatic microvascular counts in adenomas removed from patients with cancer.

Immunohistochemical expression of PCNA and CD34 in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas using specified automated cellular image analysis system: A clinicopathologic study

“…determined MVD and total vascular area by computer image analysis and reported that there was no significant difference of MVD or total vascular area counts among histologic types of adenoma (tubular, tubulovillous, and villous) in agreement with the present work. [30]…”

“…The measurement of the endothelial area was made only when endothelial wall was identified by brown stain. [233038]…”

Lymphangiogenesis and colorectal cancer

“…In 2011, Moreia et al23 performed a retrospective study including 10 colorectal non-neoplastic lesions, 30 colorectal adenomas and 60 sporadic CRC tumors and found that LMVD increased significantly and sequentially from non-neoplastic tissues to adenomas and cancerous tumors. Another study showed that LMVD was significantly higher in adenomas from patients with carcinoma than those in patients without cancer 24. However, Liang et al11 reported that LMVD was not higher in colorectal adenomas than in normal colorectal tissues and that LMVD was significantly higher in T1 carcinomas than in Tis carcinomas, colorectal adenomas and normal tissues.…”