Expression of PCNA, Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor, FGF-receptor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Adenomas and Carcinomas of Human Colon

This study was designed to clarify the role of growth factors and vascular proliferation in the growth of colon tumor. On immunohistochemical observation, the ratios of positive cells for PCNA, bFGF and VEGF in carcinomas and adenomas were higher than in non-neoplastic mucosa. On reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) study, the expression of bFGF mRNA, FGF-receptor (FGFR) mRNA and VEGF mRNA was confirmed in all cases including non-neoplastic tissues, adenomas and carcinomas. On in situ hybridization, bFGF mRNA was expressed in carcinoma cells, vascular cells and fibroblastic cells, and the expression ratio of bFGF mRNA in carcinomas was higher than in non-carcinomatous mucosa. VEGF mRNA was expressed in carcinoma cells, medial smooth muscle cells and fibroblastic cells. These results suggest that bFGF and VEGF may contribute to tumor growth in association with neovascularization.