Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Medical Science Discovery, cilt.12, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
Objective: Angiogenesis plays a decisive role in the carcinogenesis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a hypervascular tumor. This study aimed to quantitatively assess angiogenesis and evaluate other vascularization patterns, such as lymphangiogenesis and vasculogenic mimicry (VM), using morphometric and immunohistochemical methods. Additionally, we investigated the prognostic relevance of vascularization in the postoperative outcomes of HCC patients treated with liver transplantation.
Material and Methods: Sixty HCC cases treated with orthotopic liver transplantation were included. Intratumoral angiogenesis was assessed using anti-CD34 and anti-CD105 antibodies, while lymphangiogenesis was evaluated with the anti-D2-40 antibody, all via immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray slides. Vascularization was quantified using image analysis software, measuring vessel area and the number and area of objects per mm². Morphological and immunohistochemical data were analyzed statistically to assess correlations with prognostic factors and survival outcomes.
Results: Both tubular and patterned matrix types of VM were observed in HCC cases. However, no statistically significant association was found between the presence of VM and survival or prognostic indicators. A statistically significant relationship was identified between overall survival and the number of CD34-positive vessels per unit area, which was significantly lower in patients with poorer outcomes (p = 0.006). No significant correlation was found between CD34 vessel count and clinicopathologic parameters. CD105 expression was lower than CD34, with no statistically significant association observed between their expressions or with clinical outcomes.
Conclusion: Our findings support the existence of distinct and independent vascularization patterns in HCC. An increased level of vascularization, as detected by CD34 staining, was associated with better prognosis. The image analysis method employed proved effective but should be validated further using both tissue microarray and routine histological slides.