A Comparative Analysis of Tumor Angiogenesis and the Clinical Features of Pleomorphic Carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma of the Lung

Pleomorphic carcinoma（PC） is a rare tumor that usually has an aggressive clinical course and a poor prognosis. We investigated the hypothesis that PC overexpresses angiogenic factors. Furthermore, we compared rates of expression of angiogenic factors in PC and adenocarcinoma（AD） of the lung. We collected each 11 cases of PC and AD in which the patients underwent either a lung resection or at autopsy. We immunohistochemically examined the expression of angiogenic factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor（VEGF） and basic-fibroblast growth factor were expressed in many cases of both PC and AD, and there were no significant differences between the two groups. However, the expression of cyclooxygenase（COX）-2 and hypoxia inducible factor-1α, and the microvessel density, were significantly greater in PC than in AD. These findings suggest that PC was associated with increased angiogenesis and that the tumor tissue was in a hypoxic state.