The spectrum of microvascular patterns in adult diffuse glioma and their correlation with tumor grade

Primary brain tumors constitute the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Among them, adult diffuse gliomas are the most common type, affecting the cerebral hemispheres and displaying a diffuse infiltrative pattern of growth in the surrounding neuropil that accounts for about 80% of all primary intracranial tumors. The hallmark feature of gliomas is blood vessel proliferation, which plays an important role in tumor growth, tumor biological behavior, and disease outcome. High-grade gliomas exhibit increased vascularity, the worst prognosis, and lower survival rates. Several angiogenic receptors and factors are upregulated in glioblastomas and stimulate angiogenesis signaling pathways by means of activating oncogenes and/or down-regulating tumor-suppressor genes. Existing literature has emphasized that different microvascular patterns (MVPs) are displayed in different subtypes of adult diffuse gliomas.

We examined the distribution and biological characteristics of different MVPs in 50 patients with adult diffuse gliomas. Haematoxylin and eosin staining results, along with periodic acid-Schiff and CD34 dual-stained sections, were examined to assess the vascular patterns and correlate with different grades of diffuse glioma.

The present observational study on adult diffuse glioma evaluated tumor grade and MVPs. Microvascular sprouting was the most common pattern, while a bizarre pattern (type 2) was associated with the presence of a high-grade glioma. Vascular mimicry was observed in 6% of cases, all of which were grade 4 gliomas.

This study supplements the role of neo-angiogenesis and aberrant vasculature patterns in the grading and progression of adult diffuse gliomas, which can be future targets for planning treatment strategies.