Abstract
Evaluation of: Buckanovich RJ, Sasaroli D, O’Brien-Jenkins A et al. Tumor vascular proteins as biomarkers in ovarian cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 25(7), 852–861 (2007).
Genome-wide transcriptional profiling has been widely used to identify differentially expressed genes and molecular signatures in many diseases states, including ovarian cancer, in comparison with normal tissues. However, the characteristic expression profile of vascular cells in ovarian cancer has only been minimally investigated. Using immunohistochemistry-guided laser-capture microdissection and tumor vascular cell arrays, Buckanovich and colleagues identified tumor vascular cell profiles in ovarian cancer and validated 12 novel tumor vascular markers (TVMs) by quantitative real-time-PCR, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Moreover, they demonstrated that selected TVMs were specifically expressed in tumor vasculature and absent in physiologic angiogenesis. Overexpression of any one of three specific ovarian TVMs by vascular cells was associated with a decreased disease-free interval. These data suggest that TVMs may serve as potential biomarkers and molecular targets for ovarian cancer. However, the clinical significance of these TVMs has yet to be validated.
Financial disclosure
The authors have no relevant financial interests related to this manuscript, including employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.