Correlation Between Microvessel Density and Morphological Features in Skin Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatology
• Pathology

Background:

• Abnormal angiogenesis promotes tumor growth and metastasis.
• High angiogenic activity in tumors indicates aggressive disease and poor patient prognosis.
• Understanding vascularization in skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is crucial for assessing tumor progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine blood vessel density (BVD) at the invasive front of skin SCC.
• To correlate BVD with healthy skin vascularization.
• To examine the relationship between BVD and prognostic parameters (TNM classification, depth of invasion, histological grade).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of surgical specimens from 30 skin SCC patients.
• Routine paraffin processing with Hematoxylin-Eosin staining.
• Immunohistochemical staining using antibodies against smooth muscle actin (SMA) and CD34.
• Correlation of BVD with tumor status (pT), depth of invasion (DI), and histological grade (pG).

Main Results:

• Significant differences in BVD were observed between SCC and healthy skin.
• BVD varied significantly with different depths of invasion and histological grades.
• Neovascularization density increased with deeper tumor invasion and poorer differentiation.

Conclusions:

• Elevated vascularization at the invasive front of SCC is linked to deeper invasion and worse differentiation.
• Increased vascularization may play a role in the progression of skin squamous cell carcinoma.
• BVD serves as a potential indicator of SCC aggressiveness.