뇌하수체 선종의 종양내 출혈과 혈관내피세포성장인자 발현의 연관성에 관한 연구

Abstract

Objective: Although pituitary adenoma is well known primary brain tumor that occasionally accompanies intratumoral hemorrhage, there are no precise reports about the molecular mechanism of intratumoral bleeding of pituitary adenoma. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis and vascular permeability of various brain tumors. The author studied the relationship between intratumoral hemorrhage and the expression of VEGF in human pituitary adenomas. Materials and Methods: VEGF expression was assessed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 71 pituitary adenomas. Clinical factors to investigate were age, gender, function, and radiological findings of pituitary adenomas. Radiological findings which were investigated by magnetic resonance (MR) images were intratumoral hemorrhage, cystic change, tumor size, and cavernous sinus invasion. The relationship with these factors was statistically analyzed in the respect to VEGF expression. Results: VEGF was expressed in 25 cases (35.2%). Function of the tumor, hemorrhage, cystic change, and cavernous sinus invasion were 32 (45.1%), 18 (25.4%), 12 (16.9%), and 21 (29.6%) respectively. Age, gender, tumor size, functioning, cyst formation and cavernous sinus invasion had no relationship with VEGF expression (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that VEGF expression may be responsible for intratumoral hemorrhage of pituitary adenomas. Therefore, VEGF can be a novel target to prevent a catastrophic apoplexy in pituitary adenomas and to establish roles in angiogenesis-based therapeutics of pituitary adenomas.