Purpose: to compare the efficiency of anti-factor VIII and anti-CD34 antibodies as vascular makers in cervical cancer, in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and in normal cervix. Methods: using an immunohistochemical method, factor VIII-related antigen and leukocyte antigen CD34, we performed microvascular counts in 18 squamous cell carcinomas, in 15 cervical high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, in 15 low-grade intraepithelial lesions and in 10 normal cervices. Using light microscopy we counted microvessels per 400X field in the most active areas of neovascularization with higher microvessel density in each case. Results: the average of microvessels stained with anti-CD34 in invasive carcinoma, high-grade intraepithelial lesions, low-grade intraepithelial lesions and in the normal cervices was 154, 134, 112 and 93, respectively. When we used anti-factor VIII the average was 56, 44, 33 and 30 vessels, following the same order. High-grade intraepithelial lesions and invasive carcinomas showed greater means number of vessels than normal tissue. Conclusions: the use of anti-CD34 allowed the detection of a greater number of vessels when compared to anti-factor VIII. However, we could observe that anti-factor VIII staining was able to significantly discriminate high-grade from low-grade lesions.
Angiogenesis; Cervix; Cervix; Immunohistochemistry
