Role of vascular endothelial growth factor-C and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 in lymphatic metastasis of gastric carcinoma

Objective:To study expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor-C(VEGF-C) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3(VEGFR-3) in gastric cancer tissues and the relationship between lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma,in an attempt to study the role of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in lymphatic metastasis.Methods:The expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 mRNA in 67 gastric carcinoma tissue specimens and their corresponding normal gastric tissues were determined by RT-PCR.Lymphatic vessels were stained by enzyme histochemical method and the lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma was analyzed according to pathological records.Results:The positive rates of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 mRNA in carcinoma tissues were significantly higher than those in normal gastric tissues(62.69% vs 34.3% and 58.21% vs 31.3%,respectively,both P0.01).The expression of VEGF-C was closely related to that of VEGFR-3 in gastric carcinoma(P0.01).In patients with both VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expressions,lymphatic vessels and lymph node metastasis were significantly increased compared with those in VEGF-C or VEGFR-3 negative cases(P0.05 or 0.01).Conclusion:VEGF-C combined with VEGFR-3 may induce lymphangiogenesis and promote the lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma.The VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 signaling pathway may be a target for antilymphangiogenic therapy of gastric carcinoma.