Thymidine phosphorylase/platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor expression associated with hepatic metastasis in gastric carcinoma

Abstract

Summary It is known that angiogenesis plays an important role in the growth and metastasis of solid tumours. Several angiogenic factors have been identified and platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF) is thought to be one such factor. Recently, it was reported that thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) is identical to PD-ECGF. Using immunohistochemical staining with an anti-dThdPase antibody, we investigated the correlation between dThdPase expression and the microvessel density in 120 gastric carcinomas. The microvessel density, determined by immunostaining for factor VIII-related antigen, was significantly higher in dThdPase-positive tumours than in dThdPase-negative tumours. There was a significant correlation between dThdPase expression and the increment of microvessel density. Moreover, regarding distant organ metastasis, the frequency of hepatic metastasis was significantly higher (P<0.01) in patients with dThdPase-positive tumours than in those with dThdPase-negative tumours. In summary, it was suggested that dThdPase expression is closely associated with the promotion of angiogenesis and hepatic metastasis in gastric carcinoma.

Expression of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase mRNA plays an important role in the prognosis of patients with oesophageal cancer

“…In the present study, the cases with lymph node metastasis and/or lymph vessel invasion of the cancer disclosed a high T/N ratio of PyNPase mRNA expression in oesophageal cancer. This finding is consistent with previous reports in which malignancies that had high expression of PyNPase demonstrated a highly aggressive behaviour (Maeda et al, 1996;Takebayashi et al, 1996a,b;Tanigawa et al, 1996).…”

Thymidine phosphorylase and vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with Stage I lung adenocarcinoma

“…It has been reported that intratumoral macrophages express TP in human malignancies 14,15,[17][18][19] and that activated mast cells express TP in atherosclerotic plaques. 25 Activated mast cells also express VEGF 27 and bFGF.…”

“…Intensive TP expression has been observed in intratumoral macrophages of colorectal, gastric, and breast carcinoma. 14,15,[17][18][19] Although the intensity of TP expression in stromal and/or tumor 95%CI: 95% confidence interval; TP: thymidine phosphorylase; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; bFGF: basic fibroblast growth factor. a Patients were divided into two groups using cut-off values, means of microvessel, mast cell, and macrophage counts (high and low value groups) or according to TP, VEGF, and bFGF expression patterns (positive and negative tumor groups).…”

“…It is interesting to note that mast cells have been shown to migrate in response to angiogenic factors, such as VEGF and TP. 26 Several investigations 14,15,[17][18][19] have focused on interaction between TP expression in intratumoral macrophages and tumor angiogenesis. However, the current study demonstrated that there were no significant associations of expression of any examined angiogenic factors with macrophage accumulation within tumors in patients with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.…”

“…12,13 In human malignancies of various organs, different patterns of stromal and tumor cell-TP expression have been observed. 14 -24 In colorectal carcinoma, 14,15 , gastric carcinoma, 17 and breast carcinoma, 18,19 intensive TP expression has been observed in intratumoral macrophages. TP expression has been observed in tumor cells of nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).…”