We analyzed the expressions of hexokinase II (HK II), a key enzyme in glycolysis, and VEGF in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and metastatic liver cancer in relation to tumor vascularity, and the participation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) was studied.
Quantitative gene-expression levels of the key angiogenesis molecules VEGF and integrin beta3 were lower in neuroendocrine tumors than in colorectal liver metastases and were highly variable.