BACKGROUND. Assessment of microvascular density in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (primary lesion and metastasis). METHODS. Immunohistochemical analysis by anti CD-34 of neoangiogenesis density and its relation with clinical and histological data concerning the prognosis. After optic microscopy amplification, the relation between microvascular density, clinico-histological data and prognosis, was established. RESULTS. The microvascular density presented 15.4 vessels/field (5.5 to 25.3) in primary tumors and 16.4 vessels/field (12 to 32.2) in lymph node metastases. It was observed an inverse relation between microvascular density in primary lesions and their lymph node metastasis (r= -0.68 and p=0,04). CONCLUSIONS. No evidence was detected between microvascular density, histological features and prognosis. There is an inverse relation between microvascular density in primary tumor and in lymphonode metastasis, suggesting a regional or systemic control of angiogenesis in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue.
Cancer; Angiogenesis; Lymph node; Metastasis; Tongue
