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Expression of vascular permeability factor in craniopharyngioma
J Vaquero1, M Zurita, S de Oya
1Laboratory of Experimental Neurooncology, Neuroscience Research Unit, Puerta de Hierro Clinic Hospital, Autonomous University, Madrid, Spain.
Object:
The expression of vascular endothelial growth/permeability factor (VEG/PF) has recently been correlated with the presence of tumor-associated cysts in some intracranial tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a possible relationship between the presence of VEG/PF and the formation of cysts in craniopharyngiomas.
Methods:
The expression of VEG/PF was studied in histological specimens from a series of 12 craniopharyngiomas. In this series, the tumors were classified as presenting a mainly solid pattern with small macroscopic cysts (four patients) or a mainly cystic pattern (eight patients). The mainly solid tumors containing small macroscopic cysts showed little or no VEG/PF positivity, which was mainly present in tumor cells surrounding cysts. Nevertheless, mainly cystic craniopharyngiomas showed a moderate or high degree of VEG/PF positivity in tumor cells.
Conclusions:
These findings indicate that the predominance of a cystic or solid macroscopic appearance of craniopharyngiomas may be influenced by the degree of VEG/PF expression within the tumor cells.