Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF receptor-3 in cervical cancer

Objective To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and its receptorsVEGFR-3 in cervical cancer and their relationship with lymph node metastasis and lymphangiogenesis. Methods Paraffin-embedded specimens from 55 patients with primary cervical cancer, 45 of whom underwent radical hysterectomy with lymph node dissection, were used to measure the expression of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 immunohistochemically. Results The positive rate of VEGF-C was 69.1% (38/55) and VEGFR-3 61.8% (34/55).VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expression in cervical cancer was associated with the differentiation of tumor cells (P=0.000 and P=0.047 respectively). The LMVD was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.004). The microvascular in VEGF-C positive tumors was significantly more than that in VEGF-C negative tumors (P=0.044). The positive expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 indicated poor prognosis of cervical cancer. Conclusions VEGF-C could stimulate lymphangiogenesis in cervical cancer by activating their receptors on the lymphatic endothelial cells, resulting in lymph node metastasis.