Table 1.
Angiogenesis and clinical features in patients with PitNETs
| MVD (number of vessels/HPF) | TMVA (% vessel area/HPF) | Perimeter (µm) | Feret’s diameter (µm) | Area per vessel (% vessel area/HPF) | Roundness (0–1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||||
| Male (n = 16) | 31.7 (20.0–39.7) | 6.0 (4.9–8.8) | 98.7 (86.1–117.1) | 40.1 (35.4–47.2) | 0.18 (0.15–0.28) | 0.47 (0.43–0.53) |
| Female (n = 8) | 35.8 (20.7–64.2) | 7.2 (3.9–14.3) | 100.9 (83.9–113.1) | 41.4 (34.0–46.0) | 0.21 (0.14–0.28) | 0.47 (0.46–0.48) |
| Headache at diagnosis | ||||||
| Yes (n = 8) | 31.8 (20.7–39.3) | 5.2 (3.9–7.8) | 98.2 (81.3–109.2) | 39.5 (33.5–45.6) | 0.18 (0.15–0.21) | 0.46 (0.42–0.48) |
| No (n = 16) | 32.3 (20.0–51.4) | 7.2 (5.1–9.4) | 101.4 (86.6–117.9) | 41.4 (35.4–47.2) | 0.22 (0.16–0.29) | 0.48 (0.45–0.51) |
| Visual impairment at diagnosis | ||||||
| Yes (n = 13) | 32.3 (20.0–55.3) | 8.1 (5.5–9.6) | 108.8 (93.3–116.7) | 44.7 (37.9–46.9) | 0.21 (0.16–0.27) | 0.47 (0.43–0.51) |
| No (n = 11) | 31.0 (21.7–36.7) | 5.4 (3.8–8.9) | 97.9 (75.4–107.3) | 38.5 (31.3–43.1) | 0.18 (0.12–0.29) | 0.47 (0.45–0.49) |
| Hypopituitarism at diagnosis | ||||||
| Yes (n = 11) | 36.7 (21.0–55.0) | 8.6 (5.9–9.4) | 99.5 (89.1–119.2) | 40.6 (36.4–47.5) | 0.22 (0.16–0.29) | 0.47 (0.44–0.49) |
| No (n = 13) | 30.0 (20.0–35.8) | 4.9 (3.9–7.9) | 98.5 (74.5–110.4) | 39.6 (30.3–46.4) | 0.18 (0.13–0.26) | 0.47 (0.43–0.53) |
| Cavernous sinus invasion | ||||||
| Yes (n = 10) | 28.3 (16.8–41.4) | 6.1 (5.1–9.6) | 100.9 (84.1–140.6) | 40.6 (34.5–56.1) | 0.24 (0.15–0.42) | 0.47 (0.42–0.49) |
| No (n = 14) | 32.3 (27.5–44.3) | 5.8 (4.2–9.0) | 98.7 (83.7–110.1) | 40.4 (34.6–45.7) | 0.19 (0.15–0.22) | 0.48 (0.44–0.53) |
| Ki-67 | ||||||
| <3% (n = 19) | 32.3 (21.7–40.7) | 5.9 (4.3–9.4) | 97.9 (79.3–110.9) | 39.5 (32.6–46.4) | 0.17 (0.15–0.25) | 0.48 (0.44–0.51) |
| ≥ 3% (n = 5) | 20.3 (17.2–63.8) | 6.3 (4.7–14.4) | 109.9 (100.7–138.8) | 44.7 (41.4–57.3) | 0.23 (0.21–0.35) | 0.47 (0.37–0.48) |
| Trouillas classification grade | ||||||
| 1a (n = 11) | 32.3 (29.7–40.7) | 5.7 (4.3–8.6) | 97.9 (73.5–108.8) | 39.6 (29.3–45.5) | 0.17 (0.15–0.22) | 0.48 (0.44–0.53) |
| 1b (n = 3) | 40.6 (20.3–.) | 8.9 (3.9–.) | 109.9 (97.9–.) | 44.7 (40.2–.) | 0.22 (0.19–.) | 0.47 (0.41–.) |
| 2a (n = 8) | 35.8 (18.4–50.9) | 7.4 (4.5–9.8) | 93.8 (80.9–132.7) | 37.4 (33.2–51.8) | 0.17 (0.14–0.40) | 0.48 (0.44–0.49) |
| 2b (n = 2) | 17.2 (15.3–.) | 5.9 (5.6–.) | 133.4 (103.3–.) | 55.4 (42.7–.) | 0.35 (0.29–.) | 0.40 (0.33–.) |
| Re-operation | ||||||
| Yes (n = 5) | 40.7 (35.3–76.0)a | 8.8 (5.9–11.6) | 89.1 (72.2–97.9) | 36.3 (28.2–40.4) | 0.16 (0.13–0.21) | 0.49 (0.48–0.53)a |
| No (n = 19) | 31.0 (19.7–36.7) | 5.7 (4.3–9.4) | 107.3 (87.1–119.2) | 43.1 (36.4–47.5) | 0.19 (0.15–0.29) | 0.46 (0.43–0.49) |
Microvessel density, total microvessel area and vascular architecture parameters among the cohort of 24 patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumours (PitNETs) according to different clinico-pathological features. Data are shown as median (interquartile range). P values were non-significant for all comparisons
HPF high-power field, MVD microvessel density, TMVA total microvessel area
ap value comprised between 0.05 and 0.1 (Mann–Whitney U tests were used for all comparisons, except for the Trouillas classification grades where Kruskal–Wallis test was applied)