Aberrant isoform of vascular endothelial growth factor 189 expression is correlated with xenotransplantability of human esophageal cancer.

Xenografted neoplastic tissues are often utilized to study biology of human cancer. We studied isoform pattern (VEGF206, VEGF189, VEGF165, VEGF121) of an angiogenic factor VEGF in both esophageal primary cancers and cancer xenografts by RT-PCR analysis. Eighteen of 19 (95%) xenografts showed the cell associated aberrant isoform of VEGF189 at a significantly higher incidence than 19 of 31 (61%) primary cancers (P=0.009, Fisher's exact test). These observations suggested that the aberrant isoform of VEGF189 mRNA affects the xenotransplantability of human esophageal cancer.