Tumor neovascularity

Masunaga R, Kohno H, Dhar DK, et al. Cyclooxygenase-2 expression correlates with tumor neovascularization and prognosis in human colorectal carcinoma patients. Clin Cancer Res 2000 6 4064 1068. 

The progression and growth of ovarian carcinoma are also dependent on chemokine-mediated angiogenesis. In one study, the in vitro production of CXCL8 by five human ovarian cancer lines correlated with tumor neovascularization and cancer-related death when implanted into the peritoneum of immunocompromised mice, whereas VEGF production correlated only with ascites production after implantation, but basic FGF did not correlate with the outcome [70]. This concept was further substantiated in patients with ovarian cancer where ascites fluid angiogenic activity directly correlated to CXCL8 [71]. 

Li, B., Sharpe, E.E., Maupin, A.B., Teleron, A.A., Pyle, A.L., Carmehet, P., and Young, P.P. (2006) VEGF and PIGF promote adult vasculogenesis by enhancing EPC recruitment and vessel formation at the site of tumor neovascularization. The FASEB Journal, 20, 1495-1497. 

CT perfusion is a noninvasive tool providing functional information on neoplastic tissue in other words, it is a measurement of tumor neovascularity (neoangiogenesis) (Goh 2007). CT perfusion was first proposed in 1979, but technical limitations, such as poor temporal resolution, have limited the development (Miles and Griffiths 2003). It is with the advent of MDCT, and in particular 64-slice scanners, that a radical change occurred, not only in temporal resolution (available aheady with MDCT scanners of previous generation), but especially in volume coverage. 

Acquired data are postprocessed using dedicated software implemented on offline workstations. Perfusion analysis, now, can be performed using software based on deconvolution or compartmental model of analysis (Sahani 2005). CT perfusion provides functional information about tumor neovascularity, represented by blood volume (millihter per 100 g wet tissue), blood flow (milhhter per 100 g wet tissue per minute), mean transit time (seconds), and permeability surface area (milliliter per 100 g wet tissue per minute), that can be displayed as chromatic maps (Fig. 31.2). 

Rooney, R, Kumar, S., Pouting, J., Wang, M. (1995) The role of hyaluronan in tumor neovascularization. International Journal of Cancer, 60, 632-636. 

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