Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1995 Oct;147(4):1049–1056.

Tumor Vascularity Is Not a Prognostic Factor for Malignant Melanoma of the Skin

Klaus J Busam, Marianne Berwick, Karen Blessing, Katrin Fandrey, Sewon Kang, Themis Karaoli, Judy Fine, Alistair J Cochran, Wain L White, Jason Rivers, David E Elder, Duan-Ren Po Wen, Bradley H Heyman, Raymond L Barnhill
PMCID: PMC1871014  PMID: 7573350

Abstract

Tumor vascularity has been proposed as a prognostic indicator for a number of solid tumors. Although a correlation between microvessel number and metastatic behavior has also been suggested for cutaneous melanoma, the small number of cases studied to date allows one to draw only preliminary conclusions. In this study, we have assessed tumor vascularity in cutaneous melanoma by comparing 60 cases of metastasizing and non-metastasizing tumors matched for tumor thickness, age, sex, and anatomic site. Ulex europaeus agglutinin I appeared to be the most suitable vascular marker for this study. Our results indicate that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with regard to tumor vascularity. Even after identifying 15 cases of thin (<1.0 mm thick) melanoma, there was no significant difference in the number of microvessels between metastasizing and non-metastasizing tumors. Comparison of patterns of vascular microarchitecture also failed to discriminate between the two groups. Thus, our results indicate that tumor vascularity may not be an independent prognostic factor for cutaneous melanoma.

Full text

PDF
1049

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barnhill R. L., Fandrey K., Levy M. A., Mihm M. C., Jr, Hyman B. Angiogenesis and tumor progression of melanoma. Quantification of vascularity in melanocytic nevi and cutaneous malignant melanoma. Lab Invest. 1992 Sep;67(3):331–337. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barnhill R. L., Levy M. A. Regressing thin cutaneous malignant melanomas (< or = 1.0 mm) are associated with angiogenesis. Am J Pathol. 1993 Jul;143(1):99–104. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carnochan P., Briggs J. C., Westbury G., Davies A. J. The vascularity of cutaneous melanoma: a quantitative histological study of lesions 0.85-1.25 mm in thickness. Br J Cancer. 1991 Jul;64(1):102–107. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1991.250. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Denijn M., Ruiter D. J. The possible role of angiogenesis in the metastatic potential of human melanoma. Clinicopathological aspects. Melanoma Res. 1993 Feb;3(1):5–14. doi: 10.1097/00008390-199304000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fidler I. J., Ellis L. M. The implications of angiogenesis for the biology and therapy of cancer metastasis. Cell. 1994 Oct 21;79(2):185–188. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(94)90187-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Folberg R., Pe'er J., Gruman L. M., Woolson R. F., Jeng G., Montague P. R., Moninger T. O., Yi H., Moore K. C. The morphologic characteristics of tumor blood vessels as a marker of tumor progression in primary human uveal melanoma: a matched case-control study. Hum Pathol. 1992 Nov;23(11):1298–1305. doi: 10.1016/0046-8177(92)90299-i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Folberg R., Rummelt V., Parys-Van Ginderdeuren R., Hwang T., Woolson R. F., Pe'er J., Gruman L. M. The prognostic value of tumor blood vessel morphology in primary uveal melanoma. Ophthalmology. 1993 Sep;100(9):1389–1398. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(93)31470-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Folkman J. What is the evidence that tumors are angiogenesis dependent? J Natl Cancer Inst. 1990 Jan 3;82(1):4–6. doi: 10.1093/jnci/82.1.4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Graham C. H., Rivers J., Kerbel R. S., Stankiewicz K. S., White W. L. Extent of vascularization as a prognostic indicator in thin (< 0.76 mm) malignant melanomas. Am J Pathol. 1994 Sep;145(3):510–514. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gromet M. A., Epstein W. L., Blois M. S. The regressing thin malignant melanoma: a distinctive lesion with metastatic potential. Cancer. 1978 Nov;42(5):2282–2292. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197811)42:5<2282::aid-cncr2820420528>3.0.co;2-v. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kang S., Barnhill R. L., Mihm M. C., Jr, Sober A. J. Histologic regression in malignant melanoma: an interobserver concordance study. J Cutan Pathol. 1993 Apr;20(2):126–129. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0560.1993.tb00228.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Liotta L. A., Steeg P. S., Stetler-Stevenson W. G. Cancer metastasis and angiogenesis: an imbalance of positive and negative regulation. Cell. 1991 Jan 25;64(2):327–336. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90642-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Little D., Said J. W., Siegel R. J., Fealy M., Fishbein M. C. Endothelial cell markers in vascular neoplasms: an immunohistochemical study comparing factor VIII-related antigen, blood group specific antigens, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, and Ulex europaeus 1 lectin. J Pathol. 1986 Jun;149(2):89–95. doi: 10.1002/path.1711490203. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Macchiarini P., Fontanini G., Hardin M. J., Squartini F., Angeletti C. A. Relation of neovascularisation to metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer. Lancet. 1992 Jul 18;340(8812):145–146. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)93217-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Nickoloff B. J. The human progenitor cell antigen (CD34) is localized on endothelial cells, dermal dendritic cells, and perifollicular cells in formalin-fixed normal skin, and on proliferating endothelial cells and stromal spindle-shaped cells in Kaposi's sarcoma. Arch Dermatol. 1991 Apr;127(4):523–529. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ordóez N. G., Batsakis J. G. Comparison of Ulex europaeus I lectin and factor VIII-related antigen in vascular lesions. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1984 Feb;108(2):129–132. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rigel D. S., Friedman R. J., Kopf A. W., Silverman M. K. Factors influencing survival in melanoma. Dermatol Clin. 1991 Oct;9(4):631–642. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rummelt V., Folberg R., Rummelt C., Gruman L. M., Hwang T., Woolson R. F., Yi H., Naumann G. O. Microcirculation architecture of melanocytic nevi and malignant melanomas of the ciliary body and choroid. A comparative histopathologic and ultrastructural study. Ophthalmology. 1994 Apr;101(4):718–727. doi: 10.1016/s0161-6420(94)31273-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Traweek S. T., Kandalaft P. L., Mehta P., Battifora H. The human hematopoietic progenitor cell antigen (CD34) in vascular neoplasia. Am J Clin Pathol. 1991 Jul;96(1):25–31. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/96.1.25. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wakui S., Furusato M., Itoh T., Sasaki H., Akiyama A., Kinoshita I., Asano K., Tokuda T., Aizawa S., Ushigome S. Tumour angiogenesis in prostatic carcinoma with and without bone marrow metastasis: a morphometric study. J Pathol. 1992 Nov;168(3):257–262. doi: 10.1002/path.1711680303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weidner N., Carroll P. R., Flax J., Blumenfeld W., Folkman J. Tumor angiogenesis correlates with metastasis in invasive prostate carcinoma. Am J Pathol. 1993 Aug;143(2):401–409. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Weidner N., Folkman J., Pozza F., Bevilacqua P., Allred E. N., Moore D. H., Meli S., Gasparini G. Tumor angiogenesis: a new significant and independent prognostic indicator in early-stage breast carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1992 Dec 16;84(24):1875–1887. doi: 10.1093/jnci/84.24.1875. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Weidner N., Semple J. P., Welch W. R., Folkman J. Tumor angiogenesis and metastasis--correlation in invasive breast carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jan 3;324(1):1–8. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199101033240101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Woods J. E., Soule E. H., Creagan E. T. Metastasis and death in patients with thin melanomas (less than 0.76 mm). Ann Surg. 1983 Jul;198(1):63–64. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198307000-00012. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES