PEDIATRIC HEMATOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY, cilt.25, sa.1, ss.55-66, 2008 (SCI-Expanded)
The present study was carried out to clarify the role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and microvessel density (MVD) in the clinicopathologic behavior of childhood B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens from 25 children with NHL were studied by immunohistochemically and the correlate the expression of these markers to clinicopathologic characteristics. Positive MMP-9 staining was associated with an increased prevalence of B-symptoms (p = .046). High microvessel density (MVD) showed a tendency toward an adverse outcome and it was correlated with clinical stage (p = .023). The event-free survival of high MVD patients was less than for those with low MVD, but the difference was not statistically significant (64.1% vs. 85.71% respectively, p = 0.15). The overall survival of high MVD patients was less than for those low with MVD and the difference was statistically significant (55.53% vs. 100% respectively, p = .039). Neither gelatinases nor VEGF correlated with age, sex, disease stage, the occurrence of bulky disease, or extranodal disease. The results showed that angiogenesis and angiogenic factors might have a role in development and clinical behavior of childhood NHL. Larger series of patients are needed to determine the prognostic value of angiogenesis in childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma.