Plausible linkage of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha in uterine cervical cancer.

Angiogenesis is essential for the development, growth and advancement of solid tumors. Angiogenesis is induced by hypoxia with angiogenic transcription factor hypoxia inducible factors (HIF). This prompted us to study the clinical implications of HIF relative to angiogenesis in uterine cervical cancers. Although there was no significant difference in HIF-1alpha histoscores and mRNA levels according to histopathological type or lymph node metastasis, HIF-1alpha histoscores and mRNA levels increased significantly with advancing cancer stages. The prognosis of 30 patients with high HIF-1alpha in uterine cervical cancers was poor (73% survival), whereas the 24-month survival rate of the other 30 patients with low HIF-1alpha was 93%. HIF-1alpha histoscores and mRNA levels were correlated with the levels of the angiogenic factors thymidine phosphorylase and interleukin-8, and HIF-1alpha might be linked with these factors in cervical cancer tissue. HIF-1alpha is a candidate for prognostic indicator as an angiogenic mediator in uterine cervical cancer.