Vascular integrin beta 3 and its relation to pulmonary metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

Integrin alpha v-beta 3 is involved in tumor angiogenesis while the clinical significance of beta 3 integrin expression in colorectal cancer and lung metastases. Analysis was performed on 51 colorectal cancer patients (22 with subsequent lung metastasis and 29 without lung metastasis). Fifty-one primary tumors and 22 lung metastases were examined for immunohistochemical detection of integrin beta 3. We found that the antibody VNR 5 to integrin beta 3 prefentially stains the blood vessels of small caliber. Indeed, vascular integrin beta 3 index was significantly higher in tumors of patients with lung metastasis than in those without lung metastasis. In the patients with lung metastases, vascular integrin beta 3 index was significantly lower in lung metastases than in primary tumors. It was immunohistochemically proved that integrin beta 3 is an important vascular endothelial cell market for lung metastasis.