Abstract
The harmony between malignant cells and the adjacent microenvironment is a sophisticated subject; however, it seems to play an important role in cancer evolution. This study aimed to assess the microvascular density (MVD) and the mean pericyte number in the tumor and adjacent tissue, and to correlate the results with special histopathological prognostic variables of the tumor. The study included 48 colorectal cancer (CRC) cases diagnosed in the central lab of Duhok. The immunohistochemical (IHC) expressions of the mesenchymal and vascular dissemination markers, erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG, a member of the ETS family of transcription factors) and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) for microvascular density and pericytes, were assessed in tumor cells and in adjacent tissue around the tumor and then correlated to clinicopathological variables with a special concentration on inflammatory reaction, tumor budding, tumor deposition, and lymphovascular invasion. The results showed that the MVD was significantly higher outside the tumor in T1 and T2 compared with T3 and T4. Moreover, it was significantly higher in grade I when compared to grades II and III within the tumor. However, no correlation was found between the MVD and the special histopathological variables that had been studied. On the other hand, the low mean pericyte showed multiple significant associations outside tumor areas, with special histopathological features including a severe inflammatory reaction, a positive tumor deposit, and a negative lymphovascular invasion. These findings may indicate that defective or transformed pericytes around the tumor can participate in the development of the tumor and, subsequently, the outcome and prognosis.