Association of B7-H3 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Its Therapeutic...

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide. Tumor angiogenesis is a hallmark of cancer, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic marker. Targeted therapy against VEGF in cervical carcinoma has been found to be effective and prompted us to explore other markers having a role in angiogenesis. B7-H3, an immune checkpoint molecule, is known to promote tumor progression and angiogenesis. However, the relationship between B7-H3 and angiogenesis in cervical carcinoma remains unclear. Hence, we planned to evaluate and compare the immunohistochemical expression of B7-H3 and VEGF in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. This was a retrospective study conducted on 30 histologically diagnosed cervical squamous cell carcinoma cases. Immunohistochemistry for B7-H3 and VEGF was performed in all cases. The H-score for both markers was calculated by multiplying the intensity score with the percentage cell positivity. Data was analyzed using SPSS v 20.0 software. B7-H3 and vascular endothelial growth factor immunopositivity were found in 90% and 96.6% of cervical squamous cell carcinoma cases, respectively. A statistically significant positive correlation was obtained between the H-score of B7-H3 and VEGF (p = 0.000; τ = 0.601). However, the immunoexpression of B7-H3/VEGF had no statistically significant correlation with age, tumor grade, pathological tumor stage, and lymph node metastasis. In view of the immunoregulatory role of B7-H3 and its role in tumor angiogenesis, B7-H3-based targeted therapy might prove to be of utility for treatments and better prognostic outcomes in cervical squamous cell carcinomas.