This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Placido, S. D. Articles by Bianco, A. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Placido, S. D. Articles by Bianco, A. R.

Measurement of Neovascularization Is an Independent Prognosticator of Survival in Node-negative Breast Cancer Patients with Long-Term Follow-Up¹

Cattedra di Oncologia Medica, Dipartimento di Endocrinologia e Oncologia Molecolare e Clinica [S. D. P., C. C., F. C., M. D. L., S. P., A. R., G. T., A. R. B.]; Istituto di Anatomia Patologica [L. P., A. D., G. Pett.] and Cattedra di Oncologia Chirurgica [G. Petr.]; Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II," 80131 Naples, Italy

We measured neovascularization, epidermal growth factor receptor, and c-erbB-2 expression in a consecutive series of 233 surgically resected axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer patients with a long-term follow-up to define the usefulness of these parameters as independent prognostic indicators of overall survival (OAS). Microvessel count (MVC), as a measure of neovascularization, was determined using a monoclonal antibody against human factor VIII-related antigen. The median MVC of 20 (range, 4–76) was used as a cutoff value for discriminating between low and high vascularized tumors. Epidermal growth factor receptor and c-erbB-2 expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Tumors were considered positive if >10% of the cells showed specific membrane staining. OAS curves were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. The indepen-dent prognostic effect of each variable was determined with the Cox proportional hazards model. High MVC (P = 0.04), high nuclear grade (P = 0.005), and high S-phase (P = 0.02) significantly affected OAS at univariate analysis. In a Cox multivariate analysis, the characteristics with an independent prognostic effect on OAS were: MVC (relative hazard, 2.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–3.81; P = 0.01) and nuclear grade (relative hazard, 2.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–7.17; P = 0.01). These results demonstrate that quantification of neovascularization adds useful independent prognostic information on survival in node-negative breast cancer patients with long-term follow-up.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Uzzan, P. Nicolas, M. Cucherat, and G.-Y. Perret Microvessel Density as a Prognostic Factor in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Meta-Analysis Cancer Res., May 1, 2004; 64(9): 2941 - 2955. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. A. Mankoff, L. K. Dunnwald, J. R. Gralow, G. K. Ellis, E. K. Schubert, J. Tseng, T. J. Lawton, H. M. Linden, and R. B. Livingston Changes in Blood Flow and Metabolism in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer Treated with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy J. Nucl. Med., November 1, 2003; 44(11): 1806 - 1814. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Cox, S. D. Merajver, S. Yoo, R. D. Dick, G. J. Brewer, J. S.-J. Lee, and T. N. Teknos Inhibition of the Growth of Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Tetrathiomolybdate-Induced Copper Suppression in a Murine Model Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, July 1, 2003; 129(7): 781 - 785. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]