TY - JOUR
T1 - Microvascular morphometrics of the hypophysis and pituitary tumors
T2 - From bench to operating theatre
AU - Di Ieva, Antonio
AU - Weckman, Andrea
AU - Di Michele, Joseph
AU - Rotondo, Fabio
AU - Grizzi, Fabio
AU - Kovacs, Kalman
AU - Cusimano, Michael D.
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - The idea that microvasculature might be a histopathological biomarker in the prognosis and treatment of tumors is garnering even more attention in the scientific community. The roles of neovascularity in tumor progression and metastasis, have become a hot-topic of investigation in cancer research. A number of methods of quantitatively analyzing pituitary adenoma microvasculature have been applied, and fractal analysis is emerging as a potential effective model for this aim. Additionally, new and more specific immunological techniques have been developed for the detection of microvessels. CD105 (Endoglin) has been proposed as a valuable antigen that marks only newly formed vessels, rather than the entire tumor microvascular system. The combination of different types of immunostaining techniques for the detection of microvessels in pituitary adenomas with fractal analysis as an objective and computer-aided technique to quantify and describe morphological aspects of microvessels has potential implications in future clinical and surgical applications. Tumor treatments, such as anti-angiogenic therapy, as well as intraoperative tools, stand to be enhanced by increasing advances in microvascular research. We here review the methods used for the quantitative analysis of microvessels of the pituitary in its physiopathological states, with the aim to show the pituitary adenoma as a model for the study of neoplastic angioarchitecture and the importance of the introduction of new techniques for the study of angiogenesis, with the relative scientific, medical and surgical implications.
AB - The idea that microvasculature might be a histopathological biomarker in the prognosis and treatment of tumors is garnering even more attention in the scientific community. The roles of neovascularity in tumor progression and metastasis, have become a hot-topic of investigation in cancer research. A number of methods of quantitatively analyzing pituitary adenoma microvasculature have been applied, and fractal analysis is emerging as a potential effective model for this aim. Additionally, new and more specific immunological techniques have been developed for the detection of microvessels. CD105 (Endoglin) has been proposed as a valuable antigen that marks only newly formed vessels, rather than the entire tumor microvascular system. The combination of different types of immunostaining techniques for the detection of microvessels in pituitary adenomas with fractal analysis as an objective and computer-aided technique to quantify and describe morphological aspects of microvessels has potential implications in future clinical and surgical applications. Tumor treatments, such as anti-angiogenic therapy, as well as intraoperative tools, stand to be enhanced by increasing advances in microvascular research. We here review the methods used for the quantitative analysis of microvessels of the pituitary in its physiopathological states, with the aim to show the pituitary adenoma as a model for the study of neoplastic angioarchitecture and the importance of the introduction of new techniques for the study of angiogenesis, with the relative scientific, medical and surgical implications.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883159611&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mvr.2013.04.009
DO - 10.1016/j.mvr.2013.04.009
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23651686
AN - SCOPUS:84883159611
VL - 89
SP - 7
EP - 14
JO - Microvascular Research
JF - Microvascular Research
SN - 0026-2862
ER -