Expression of Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Colon Cancer: Relationship to the Prognosis and Tumor Markers

摘要

Purpose Angiogenesis is one of the key steps in solid tumor growth and metastasis. We investigated the prognostic significance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) expressions as markers of angiogenesis in colon cancer. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 78 patients with colon or rectal cancer who underwent a surgical resection at Soonchunhyang University Hospital from January 2000 to December 2001, and we evaluated the expression of VEGF and HIF-1α in archival tumor tissues by using immunohistochemistry. We recorded the clinical and the pathological characteristics of the patients and analyzed their survival outcomes. Results Thirty-four (34) patients were male, and the mean age of all the patients was 66.7 years. HIF-1α and VEGF were positive in 56% (44 patients) and 53% (42 patients) of the tumors, respectively. HIF-1α expression was significantly associated with several pathological parameters, such as TNM stage (P=0.001), lymph node metastasis (P=0.001). HIF-1α expression was also associated with VEGF expression (P=0.032). The survival of patients with HIF-1α expression was worse than that of patients with no HIF-1α expression (P=0.036). However, VEGF expression was not associated with other pathological characteristics. Conclusions We suggest that, in cases of colorectal cancer, HIF-1α expression may be associated with expression of VEGF, progression of tumors, and poor prognosis.