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Expression of angiogenesis-related genes in ovarian carcinoma – A clinicopathologic study

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Abstract

Angiogenic factors play a role in tumor growth and spread. The object of this study was to analyze the correlation between mRNA expression of angiogenesis-related genes and disease outcome in advanced-stage ovarian carcinomas. Sections from 66 primary ovarian carcinomas and metastatic lesions from 41 patients diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian carcinoma (FIGO stages III-IV) were evaluated for expression of basic fibroblast factor (bFGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using mRNA In Situ Hybridization (ISH). Patients were divided in two groups based on disease outcome. Long-term survivors (17 patients) and short-term survivors (24 patients) were defined using a double cut-off of 36 months for disease-free survival (DFS) and 60 months for overall survival (OS). Mean follow-up period was 70 months. The mean values for DFS and OS were 116 and 133 months for long-term survivors, as compared to 3 and 21 months for short-term survivors, respectively. Expression of bFGF mRNA, most often intense, was detected in tumor and stromal cells in the majority of cases. Weak expression of IL-8 mRNA was detected in both cell compartments, while VEGF mRNA expression was limited to few cases. Primary tumors displayed higher bFGF and IL-8 mRNA expression. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). bFGF, IL-8 and VEGF mRNA expression in both tumor and stromal cells was comparable in tumors of long-term and short-term survivors, and showed no correlation with disease outcome in survival analysis (P>0.05). bFGF is the major angiogenic factor expressed in ovarian carcinoma at the mRNA level. mRNA expression of VEGF, bFGF, and IL-8 does not appear to be a predictor of disease outcome in advanced-stage ovarian carcinoma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, Oslo

    Ben Davidson, Jahn M. Nesland & Aasmund Berner

  2. University of Oslo, Norway)

    Ben Davidson, Jahn M. Nesland & Aasmund Berner

  3. Department of Pathology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

    Iris Goldberg & Juri Kopolovic

  4. Tel-Aviv University), USA

    Iris Goldberg, Juri Kopolovic, Walter H. Gotlieb & Gilad Ben-Baruch

  5. Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

    Walter H. Gotlieb & Gilad Ben-Baruch

  6. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    Vered Givant-Horwitz & Reuven Reich

  7. Department of Oral Biology, University of Oslo, Norway

    Magne Bryne

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  1. Ben Davidson
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  2. Iris Goldberg
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Davidson, B., Goldberg, I., Kopolovic, J. et al. Expression of angiogenesis-related genes in ovarian carcinoma – A clinicopathologic study. Clin Exp Metastasis 18, 501–508 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011858225144

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