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Published on: January 31, 2025
Tumour-associated Angiogenesis and Intermediate Blood Vessels in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Marius Raica1, Anca Maria Cimpean1, Ovidiu Catalin Ferician2
1Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center,Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania.
Background/Aim:
Renal cell carcinoma is strongly vascularized, and formation of new blood vessels is a complex and multi-step process. In this study, we analysed the subtypes of intermediate blood vessels, as shown by double immunohistochemistry.
Materials And Methods:
Tumour-associated blood vessels were identified by double immunostaining based on CD34 and smooth muscle cell actin. Blood vessels were classified both quantitatively and qualitatively based on the expression of the aforementioned two markers. The main criteria to sub-classify intermediate blood vessels was the presence, distribution, and arrangement of perivascular cells.
Results:
We described three subtypes of intermediate blood vessels found particularly in the tumour area: Subtype 1 lacked perivascular cells, subtype 2 showed scattered pericytes attached to the vascular wall, and subtype 3 showed a continuous layer of perivascular cells on one side.
Conclusion:
We describe for the first time three subtypes of renal cell carcinoma-associated intermediate blood vessels, which could be important in prognosis and as potential targets for anti-vascular therapy.
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