Survival is Marked by Angiogenesis and Apoptosis in Tumors.(cervical cancer )

2001 FEB 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Two cell-related activities can identify women with cervical cancer who have better chances for disease-free survival. Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels that provide nutrient rich blood to tumors, and apoptosis, also called programmed cell death, are the two activities noted by authors in a new study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics.

Often, when angiogenesis is diminished or blocked, a tumor will decrease in size or will stop producing cells that can break away and metastasize. Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, causes cells to die, sometimes before they can proliferate and cause tumor progression.

M.S. Zaghloul and colleagues obtained tissues from 40 patients with cervical uterine squamous cell carcinoma. Patient stage ranged from Stage I to Stage IV. The tissues and accompanying patient records were reviewed for instances where apoptosis and/or angiogenesis could be associated with patient survival.

Researchers gave each tumor sample a score based on an apoptotic index, and used special laboratory analysis to detect tumor angiogenesis, which was also graded with a microvascular score.

Zaghloul, along with research associates at the National Cancer Institute in Cairo, Egypt, said, "The patients' age and tumor grade did not seem to significantly affect the ...