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Quantification of angiogenesis induced in rabbit cornea by breast carcinoma of women treated with tamoxifen
Author(s) -
da Silva Benedito Borges,
da Silva Raimundo Gerônimo,
Borges Umbelina Soares,
da Silveira Filho Marcos Antônio Guedes,
Pimentel Igor Clausius Carvalho,
Gebrim Luiz Henrique,
Simões Manuel de Jesus,
Baracat Edmund Chada
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.20239
Subject(s) - tamoxifen , medicine , angiogenesis , cornea , h&e stain , breast cancer , breast carcinoma , statistical significance , neovascularization , urology , cancer , ophthalmology , immunohistochemistry
Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tamoxifen on angiogenesis induced in rabbit cornea by breast carcinoma from post‐menopausal women. Methods Thirteen post‐menopausal women with operable, estrogen receptor‐positive breast carcinomas, treated with 20 mg of tamoxifen daily for 30 days prior to undergoing definitive surgery, participated in this study. Twenty‐six virgin female New Zealand white rabbits, 3–4 months old, weighing approximately 2.5 kg each, were divided into two groups of 13 animals and received corneal implants of tumor either pre‐ or post‐tamoxifen treatment. After 10 days, the animals were sacrificed, the region of the cornea between the tumor implant and the limbus was removed and quantification of angiogenesis was carried out by evaluating the entire hematoxylin‐eosin stained slide, using a 10× objective lens (100× magnification). Student t ‐test was used in the statistical analysis of the data and statistical significance was established at P < 0.05. Results Mean microvessel count was 106.8 ± 5.9 pre‐tamoxifen treatment and 54 ± 5.6 post‐treatment. According to Student t ‐test, there was a significant reduction in mean microvessel density following treatment with tamoxifen ( P < 0.001). Conclusions Rabbit cornea proved to be an interesting experimental model for the quantification of angiogenesis. Tamoxifen, when administered for 30 days to post‐menopausal women with breast cancer, significantly inhibited angiogenesis induced by tumor fragments in rabbit cornea. J. Surg. Oncol. 2005;90:77–80. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.