Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C、D and Their Relationship with Lymph Node Metastasis in Gastric Cancer

Objective:Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and D (VEGF-D) are considered to be potentially lymphangiogenic and can selectively induce hyperplasia of the lymphatic vasculature. In this study, we aimed to clarify the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor C and D (VEGF-C,D) and their relationships with lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinoma.Methods: Using the specific antibodies of VEGF-C and D, we classified 100 cases which were treated by gastrectomy in 2004 into two groups (positive and negative for lymph node metastasis), and 10 cases of normal gastric tissues were used as control group. The expression of VEGF-C and D protein in gastric carcinoma tissues obtained from 100 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy and in normal gastric tissues of 10 cases were detected by immunohistochemistry simultaneously.Results: VEGF-C and D can be stained in the cytoplasm of the gastric carcinoma tissues and normal gastric tissues by immunohistochemistry. VEGF-C and D protein were expressed in 51%(51/100) and 60%(60/100) patients respectively. The positive rates of VEGF-C and D in gastric carcinoma were much higher than that of control group(P0.05). There was a significant correlation between the expression of VEGF-C (but not of VEGF-D ) and lymph node metastasis(P0.005). Logistic regression analysis also showed the correlation of the VEGF-C expression in gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastasis (OR=14.292, Standard Estimate=0.7937,P0.0001).Conclusion: The expression of VEGF-C is closely related to lymph node metastasis in gastric carcinoma.