Vascular endothelial growth factor and p53 expressions in liver and abdominal metastases from colon cancer.

Objective: To determine the relationship between p53 overexpression and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) upregulation in liver and abdominal metastases from colon cancer. The analysis in the two metastatic sites was carried out to evaluate the potential role of microenvironment in the molecular regulation of VEGF.

Methods: Bioptic specimens of liver and abdominal metastases from colon carcinomas were examined by immunohistochemistry for p53 and VEGF expressions. Consecutive cases with assessable tumor tissue were selected.

Results: The study population consisted of 24 cases having liver metastases and 34 cases having abdominal metastases. Abdominal metastases showed a higher number of VEGF-positive cases and a higher intensity of VEGF immunoreactivity than liver metastases did (p = 0.01). The combined analysis of p53 and VEGF showed a strong association between the two markers in the 24 liver metastases; 9 cases were VEGF positive/p53 positive and 15 cases were VEGF negative/p53 negative. This relationship was not found in the 34 abdominal metastases, which showed concordance between the two markers in 9 VEGF-positive/p53-positive cases only.

Conclusions: Microenvironment factors like hypoxia may have a predominant role in inducing VEGF expression and they can override the molecular control of p53 on VEGF.