AUTHOR=Wu Haibo , Xie Jing , Kong Xue , Wang Wei , Li Yuan , Lin Mengyu , Li Heng , Chen Jingjing , Zhou Wenchao , He Jie TITLE=Vasculogenic Mimicry Formation Predicts Tumor Progression in Oligodendroglioma JOURNAL=Pathology and Oncology Research VOLUME=27 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.por-journal.com/journals/pathology-and-oncology-research/articles/10.3389/pore.2021.1609844 DOI=10.3389/pore.2021.1609844 ISSN=1532-2807 ABSTRACT=

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) has been identified as an important vasculogenic mechanism in malignant tumors, but little is known about its clinical meanings and mechanisms in oligodendroglioma. In this study, VM-positive cases were detected in 28 (20.6%) out of 136 oligodendroglioma samples, significantly associated with higher WHO grade, lower Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores, and recurrent tumor (p < 0.001, p = 0.040, and p = 0.020 respectively). Patients with VM-positive oligodendroglioma had a shorter progress-free survival (PFS) compared with those with VM-negative tumor (p < 0.001), whereas no significant difference was detected in overall survival (OS) between these patients. High levels of phosphorylate serine/threonine kinases Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (pATM) and phosphorylate Ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-Related (pATR) were detected in 31 (22.8%) and 34 (25.0%), respectively out of 136 oligodendroglioma samples. Higher expressions of pATM and pATR were both associated with a shorter PFS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). VM-positive oligodendroglioma specimens tended to exhibit higher pATM and pATR staining than VM-negative specimens (rs = 0.435, p < 0.001 and rs = 0.317, p < 0.001). Besides, Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) expression was detected in 14(10.3%) samples, correlated with higher WHO grade and non-frontal lobe (p = 0.010 and p = 0.029). However, no obvious connection was detected between HIF1α expression and VM formation (p = 0.537). Finally, either univariate or multivariate analysis suggested that VM was an independent unfavorable predictor for oligodendroglioma patients (p < 0.001, HR = 7.928, 95%CI: 3.382–18.584, and p = 0.007, HR = 4.534, 95%CI: 1.504–13.675, respectively). VM is a potential prognosticator for tumor progression in oligodendroglioma patients. Phosphorylation of ATM and ATR linked to treatment-resistance may be associated with VM formation. The role of VM in tumor progression and the implication of pATM/pATR in VM formation may provide potential therapeutic targets for oligodendroglioma treatment.