Angiostatin expression in endometrial cancer.

Angiostatin is a potent inhibitor of neovascularization, tumor growth and metastasis. The expressions of angiostatin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were immunohistochemically examined, along with microvessel density, in primary tumors obtained from 57 endometrial carcinoma patients with stage I disease. Angiostatin expression was not related to depth of myometrial invasion, histological grade or lymph-vascular space involvement. VEGF expression also had no relation to depth of myometrial invasion or histological grade, however, it was enhanced in tumors with lymph-vascular space involvement. Angiostatin expression did not correlate with VEGF expression. Microvessel density correlated with VEGF, but not angiostatin expression. Disease-free survival was longer in patients with angiostatin-positive tumors than in patients with angiostatin-negative tumors, but did not differ among patients with VEGF-negative and VEGF-positive tumors. No patients with angiostatin-positive and VEGF-negative tumors had recurrent disease. We concluded that negative-expression of VEGF and positive-expression of angiostatin are significant prognostic factors in endometrial carcinoma patients.