Fig. 1

Evidence of VM in HCC tumor tissues and HIF-1α & Vimentin expression contributing to poor prognosis in HCC. a. Endothelium-dependent vessels (yellow arrow) exhibited CD34-positive on their luminal surface, and positive reaction to PAS in their wall. VM channels (red arrow) made of HCC cells were positive for PAS staining, but negative for CD34. The ‘Negative’ in left panel represents a region without blood vessels and VM. Original magnification 200 ×. The scales represent 50 μm. b. Survival analysis based on VM. c. HCC specimens were analyzed by HIF-1α or Vimentin immunohistochemistry associated with no lymph node metastasis (N0) and lymph node metastasis (N1). d Survival analysis based on HIF-1α expression. e Survival analysis based on Vimentin expression. Original magnification 200 ×. The scales represent 50 μm