Evaluation of lymphangiogenesis in premalignant conditions of the head and neck mucosa.

Background: Our aim was to determine whether lymphangiogenesis occurs in the early steps of cancerogenesis of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Methods: We assessed the number of lymphatics per unit area (lymphatic vascular density [LVD]) and the percent area occupied by the lymphatic vessels (lymphatic vascular area [LVA]) by computer-assisted morphometric analysis in 56 samples immunohistochemically stained with the lymphatic marker D2-40. The results were compared to those obtained in 63 invasive squamous cell carcinomas.