Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A with rich vascularization in conjunctival papilloma

Conjunctival papilloma (CP) is a benign epithelial neoplasm, characterized by a fibrovascular core and a high recurrence rate, highlighting the need to elucidate its pathogenesis and develop adjunctive therapies beyond excision. The present study aimed to immunohistochemically assess the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), an angiogenic factor, and related molecules in CP. A total of 16 CP tissue samples were included in the present study and immunohistochemical scoring was performed. The positive rates in a high-power field at a hotspot were determined using the hybrid cell count function of the BZ-X analyzer. The median positive rates of VEGFA, VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), phosphorylated serine 59 αB-crystallin, CD34 and Ki-67 in primary CP cases (n=14) were 32.6, 29.3, 40.7, 2.4 and 11.6%, respectively. Because the number of recurrent cases (n=2) was limited, separate values for the recurrent subgroup are not emphasized, and no comparative conclusions were drawn. The correlation coefficient between the mean positive rates of VEGFA and CD34 in the same consecutive section was 0.63 (P=0.009). Furthermore, Masson's trichrome staining revealed a high number of arteries in the stem portion of pedunculated CP tissue. In conclusion, CP could be considered a highly vascularized tumor, and the expression of VEGFA and VEGFR2 in CP tumor cells suggests that these molecules may be involved in tumor proliferation and neovascularization.