European Journal of Gynaecological Oncology (EJGO) is published by IMR Press from Volume 40 Issue 1 (2019). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Angiopoietin-1, 2 and Tie2 expressions in endometrial adenocarcinoma —the Ang2 dominant balance up-regulates tumor angiogenesis in the presence of VEGF
We investigated Ang1, Ang2 and Tie2 expressions including balance and intratumoral vessels in the role of angiogenesis of endometrial adenocarcinoma. lmmunohistochemical staining was performed on 133 patients with endometrial (endometrioid) adenocarcinoma, including 73 with GI, 34 with G2, and 26 with G3. The levels of Ang1, Ang2 and Tie2 expressions were expressed as staining score. Total vessel count (TVC), microvessel count (MVC) and mean vessel diameter (VD) in the CD34-stained tissues were measured in five hot spot areas at x 200 magnification by image cytometry. These results were compared with high and low vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expressions. Ang1, Ang2, Tie2 and CD34 were expressed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. A significant correlation was found among Ang1, Ang2 and Tie2 expressions. In high VEGF cases, Ang1 expression was correlated negatively with TVC and MVC, but positively with VD, and the Ang1 < Ang2 group was significantly higher in TVC and MVC and tended to be smaller in VD than the Ang1> Ang2 group. VD was significantly larger in G3 than in GI. The Ang1< Ang2 balance may be one of the key factors for angiogenesis of endometrial carcinoma in the presence of high VEGF expression.