Altered angiogenesis gene expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumors: Potential use in diagnosis, outcome prediction, and treatment

Abstract

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) occur in diverse locations of the gastrointestinal system. We studied the pathogenesis of GIST by measurement of microvascular density (MVD) and expression of nine signal transduction molecules that have known roles in diverse types of cancers (PI3K, Akt, pTEN, uPA, MMP2, MMP9, HIF1, NOS2, and VEGF) in the tumorous tissues and adjacent normal tissues of 124 GIST patients. We also compared the MVD (a measure of angiogenesis) in tumorous and adjacent normal tissues. Our results indicated significant differences in the expression of the assayed mRNAs and proteins in GIST cells and in adjacent normal cells. In addition, tumorous tissues had significantly higher MVD than adjacent normal tissues. These nine genes have potential for use for diagnosis, outcome prediction, and as new targeted treatments for GISTs.