CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROVASCULAR BED IN WELL-DIFFERENTIATED SQUAMOUS CELL LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignant tumor and is still the leading cause of death among men and the second leading cause of death among women with cancer. Numerous studies have established that the metastatic potential of cancer cells depends not only on the proliferative activity of cells and intensity of inter-cellular interaction, but on the microenvironment of the tumor and the structure of the vascular wall. The purpose of this paper was to study the characteristics of the structure of the microvascular bed in well- differentiated squamous cell lung carcinoma. The material investigated was obtained from 50 patients with squamous cell lung carcinoma with keratinisation of stages I-IIIA at Poltava Regional Morbid Anatomy Bureau. Histological specimens were made according to standard technique with haematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunohistochemical study was performed to determine the expression of the CD34 and α-SMA monoclonal antibodies. The vessels of the microcirculatory bed were represented mainly by capillaries with a lumen diameter over 10 microns. The increase in the diameter of the blood vessels is not accompanied by their remodelling, and they become sinusoidal by their structure. Some vessels demonstrate reactive changes manifested by thrombosis. It has been established that well-differentiated squamous cell lung cancer is characterized by the irregular number of vessels in different sites of a tumor and by the presence of vessels of sinusoidal type. Sinusoidal vessels with unformed wall that closely adhere to the cancerous complexes can promote remote metastases. Taken into consideration the characteristics of the structure of the vascular wall it has been found out that the CD34 marker is of more informative value in investigating the stromal and vascular component of the tumor.