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VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in lip carcinogenesis and its association with microvessel density

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Tumor Biology

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR1 and VEGFR2) in lip carcinogenesis, to investigate correlations between these markers with microvessel density (MVD) and clinicopathological aspects. Medical records from 27 cases of actinic cheilitis (AC) and 46 cases of lower lip squamous cell carcinoma (LLSCC) were analysed and submitted to immunohistochemistry. VEGFR1- and VEGFR2-immunostained sections were analysed based on percentage of positive epithelial and inflammatory cells, while CD31 was submitted to quantitative analysis to determine MVD. Different patterns of VGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression were observed between AC and LLSCC. VEGFR1 expression in epithelial and inflammatory cells and VEGFR2 expression in epithelial cells were higher in AC compared to LLSCC (p < 0.05). VEGFR1 expression in epithelial cells was higher in LLSCC compared to AC (p < 0.001). Expression of both receptors was not associated to MVD or clinicopathological aspects. A direct correlation was found between epithelial VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 expression (p = 0.02) and between VEGFR2 epithelial and inflammatory expression (p < 0.001). Our findings indicate that activation of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in epithelial and inflammatory cells appears to be an early event in lip carcinogenesis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Flavia Rejane Giusti for technical support.

Conflicts of interest

None.

Funding support

This study was supported by the Postgraduate Research Group of the Porto Alegre University Hospital (GPPG/FIPE: 14-0042). Luise Meurer and Manoela Domingues Martins are research fellows funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

      Carla Ariotti, Vivian Petersen Wagner, Vinicius Coelho Carrard & Manoela Domingues Martins

    2. Institute of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

      Gabriela Salvadori

    3. Department of Oral Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA/UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil

      Marco Antônio Trevizani Martins & Manoela Domingues Martins

    4. Department of Oral Surgery, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

      Joao Julio da Cunha Filho

    5. Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

      Luise Meurer

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    1. Carla Ariotti
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    Correspondence to Manoela Domingues Martins.

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    Carla Ariotti and Vivian Petersen Wagner contributed equally to this work.

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    Ariotti, C., Wagner, V.P., Salvadori, G. et al. VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in lip carcinogenesis and its association with microvessel density. Tumor Biol. 36, 7285–7292 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3454-7

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3454-7

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