A positive relationship between filamin and VEGF in patients with lung cancer

Anticancer Res. 2010 Oct;30(10):3939-44.

Abstract

Induction of angiogenic responses by multiple factors, a crucial step in tumor growth and metastasis, is not completely understood. Recently, involvement of the cytoskeletal actin-binding proteins in angiogenesis has been suggested as a target for anti-neovascular cancer therapy in vitro. In this study, the expression of filamin A (FLNA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in paraffin-embedded tumor samples from patients with well-characterized lung tumors was immunohistochemically analyzed and compared with clinical variables and survival outcome. A positive expression of FLNA and VEGF was detected in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in 66 (48.2%) and 69 (50.4%) of the 137 patients with lung cancer, respectively (p<0.0001). A significant difference was observed between FLNA expression and VEGF expression. Although our findings do not suggest that the expression of FLNA alone plays an independent prognostic role, the angiogenesis pathway mediated by FLNA appears to be responsible for controlling the growth of lung tumors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cohort Studies
  • Contractile Proteins / biosynthesis*
  • Cytoplasm / metabolism
  • Female
  • Filamins
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Lung Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Microfilament Proteins / biosynthesis*
  • Middle Aged
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / metabolism
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / pathology
  • Paraffin Embedding
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 15 / biosynthesis*

Substances

  • Contractile Proteins
  • Filamins
  • Microfilament Proteins
  • TNFSF15 protein, human
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 15