Prognostic significance of angiogenesis in superficial bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prognostic significance of angiogenesis parameters such as microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in superficial bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 127 superficial bladder cancer samples immunohistochemically for the above factors. We compared them with standard clinicopathological features (grade, stage, concurrent in situ, multifocality, primary or recurrent status) as well as with p53 expression, recurrence and progression to muscle infiltrating disease. RESULTS: During a 36 months median follow up of 109 patients with superficial primary tumors (min. 3, max. 69 months), 80 of them recurred (73.4%), while 8 patients (7.3%) progressed to muscle invading disease. A significant correlation was noted between MVD and VEGF in all 127 samples (p = 0.019). No association was noted between MVD or VEGF with the other clinicopathological features, recurrence or progression. Although progression free survival rates of categorized microvessel density (up to and higher than median value) differed significantly only in grade 3 patients, no independent prognostic significance could be attributed to MVD. No correlation was observed between MVD or VEGF with p53 protein. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our data we suggest that VEGF is not useful for predicting recurrence or progression in superficial bladder cancer. Microvessel density determination may help to predict progression of grade 3 patients to muscle invasive disease but not as an independent prognostic factor.