Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in cervical carcinomas: correlation with tumor oxygenation ☆

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the relations between hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), tumor oxygenation, and clinical correlates in patients with locally advanced carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Methods and Materials: Biopsies from 42 patients with invasive cervical carcinoma and previous polarographic O 2 measurements were assessed for the expression of HIF-1α using digitized microscopic imaging and analysis. Results: The HIF-1α expression levels ranged from 1 ) most HIF-1α-positive cells were located within the typical oxygen diffusion distance in tissue (≤150 μm to the nearest blood vessel); ( 2 ) most HIF-1α-positive cells were located in the vicinity (≤60 μm) of the blood vessels; and ( 3 ) no apparent spatial relationship was found between HIF-1α-positive cells and blood vessels. A statistically significant association was found between HIF-1α expression and tumor oxygenation (Spearman correlation coefficient=0.4, p 2 histograph. No correlation was found between the level of HIF-1α expression and patient outcome, using disease-free survival as the end point. Conclusion: Our results suggest that HIF-1α expression may represent a useful biologic marker for hypoxia in uterine cervical cancer.