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Tumor angiogenesis and outcome in osteosarcoma
Danko Mikulić1, Ivana Ilić, Mladen Cepulić
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Zagreb, Klaićeva 16, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. dank.mikulic@zg.tel.hr
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
|January 1, 2005
Summary
Microvessel density (MVD) indicates poor prognosis in osteosarcoma. Higher MVD correlates with increased metastasis and reduced survival, suggesting its value in predicting patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pathology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Intratumoral angiogenesis, measured by microvessel density (MVD), is a known prognostic factor in many cancers.
- Research on MVD's prognostic role in bone sarcomas, specifically osteosarcoma, is less extensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognostic significance of angiogenesis, quantified by MVD, in osteosarcoma patients.
- To determine if MVD can predict metastasis and survival outcomes in osteosarcoma.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective immunohistochemical study of 39 osteosarcoma patients.
- Immunostaining with anti-von Willebrand factor antibody to identify microvessels.
- Counting microvessels in three fields per patient at 400x magnification and correlating MVD with survival using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analysis.
Main Results:
- A significant difference in overall and disease-free survival was observed between patients with high (>32.3 vessels/field) and low (<=32.3 vessels/field) MVD.
- Patients with high MVD exhibited a significantly higher rate of metastasis (p = .042).
Conclusions:
- Microvessel density is a significant predictor of metastasis in osteosarcoma.
- Angiogenesis quantified by MVD is indicative of a poor prognosis in osteosarcoma, highlighting its potential as a prognostic biomarker.