Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Peritumoral Brain Edema in Intracranial Meningiomas

수막종에서 혈관내피성장인자의 발현과 종양주변부 부종

Objective : Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), an endothelial cell specific cytokine, is a potent angiogenic growth factor implicated in the tumor angiogenesis and increases vascular permeability dramatically. Peritumoral brain edema(PTBE) occurs in 40-60% of meningiomas. Many causative factors have been investigated, but the mechanism of PTBE associate with meningioma is unclear. VEGF has been implicated as one of the causative factors of PTBE. This study was designed to determine whether the extent of VEGF expression is correlated with degree of PTBE in meningiomas. Methods : Meningioma tissue samples from 40 patients(7 men and 33 women, mean age $53{\pm}13years$) who underwent surgery were examined retrospectively for the expression of VEGF immunohistochemically. The extent of PTBE was estimated by using preoperative CT or MRI as an edema index(EI). In addition to VEGF, several causative factors including tumor size, location, histologic type, microvasculature(CD31) were compared with EI. Results : Twenty-six meningiomas demonstrated PTBE, and the other 14 did not. Of the 40 patients of meningiomas, 28 were positive(17 were 1+ and 11 were 2+) for VEGF. The EI increased significantly just as VEGF was strongly expressed(p=0.006). Microvascular proliferation was also closely correlated with the extent of peritumoral brain edema(p<0.05). Conclusion : These data suggest that VEGF expression and microvascular proliferation are closely correlated with PTBE in meningioma.