The relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor and histological grade in intracranial meningioma

BACKGROUND: Meningioma is the most common benign intracranial neoplasm, accounting for 30% of all primary brain tumors. In 90% of cases, meningiomas are benign. Several aspects of molecular biology, including potential biomarkers, have been studied in attempts to better understand the natural history of meningiomas. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a biomarker responsible for inducing physiological and pathological angiogenesis. VEGF expression has been investigated as a potential predictor of several tumor aspects, including growth rate, recurrence rate, brain tissue invasion, peritumoral edema and surgical prognosis, and also as a marker of histological grade. However, there is no consensus in the literature with respect to the association between this biological factor and meningioma. We digitally analyzed immunohistochemical images using ImageJ software with the aim of correlating VEGF expression with tumor histology. METHODS: Tissue samples from patients presenting with meningioma who had undergone surgical removal between 2007 and 2016 at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), in Southern Brazil, were analyzed to identify possible immunohistochemical associations between VEGF and histological grade and subtype. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included; 82% were female, mean age was 59.9 years (range: 18–91). No statistically significant associations were found between VEGF expression and histological grade or subtype (P = 0.310). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that VEGF is frequently present in meningiomas regardless of histological grade and should not be used as a marker of severity or histological grade.