Does the pattern of angiogenesis change as malignancies develop?
Microvascular ‘hot spots’ correlate with OS19
In a study of samples from 110 patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer, Guidi et al. found a statistically significant correlation between the presence of high MVD ‘hot spots’ in lymph node metastases and poor OS.19
Guidi AJ, Berry DA, Broadwater G, et al. Association of angiogenesis in lymph node metastases with outcome of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92(6):486–92. Adapted by permission of Oxford University Press.
Researchers often evaluate malignancies over several phases of their life cycle to determine the pathological stepwise progression from early to metastatic disease. Using this methodology, Guidi and colleagues hypothesised that the pattern of angiogenesis would differ from early- to late-stage breast malignancies. In an assessment of samples from 110 breast cancer patients (47 with primary tumours and 91 with metastatic axillary lymph nodes), the presence of microvascular ‘hot spots’ in lymph node metastases (but not in primary tumours) was a significant predictor of disease-free survival (p=0.006) and OS (p=0.004).19 This suggests that metastatic tumours may have different angiogenic properties and behaviour than primary tumours.19,20
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