A Higher CD105-Assessed Microvessel Density and Worse Prognosis in Elderly Patients With Laryngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

To ascertain the prognostic role of endoglin (CD105)-assessed microvessel density (MVD) in patients older than 65 years with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), and whether this MVD differed in the elderly patients from younger adult controls. Retrospective clinicopathologic investigation. Academic tertiary referral center. Fifty-seven consecutive elderly patients with LSCC and 19 younger adult controls. Image analysis of immunohistochemical reactions. In LSCCs in elderly patients, N+ stage correlated with a shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (P < .001). A higher CD105-assessed MVD was associated with disease recurrence (P = .006). The DFS was shorter in elderly patients whose CD105 expression was greater than 9.6% than in patients whose CD105 expression was 9.6% or less (P = .001). Among the elderly patients with tumors staged as N0, a higher CD105-assessed MVD correlated with disease recurrence (P = .006) and a shorter DFS (P = .001). CD105-assessed MVD in LSCC occurring in elderly patients did not differ from the situation observed in younger adult controls (P = .74). In LSCC occurring in elderly patients, CD105-assessed MVD may be a useful N-stage independent, angiogenic prognostic marker for pinpointing: (1) patients at higher risk of disease recurrence; and (2) patients with N0 tumors at higher risk of early recurrence, who may benefit from more aggressive therapy.