Expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 in Breast Cancer and the Relation with Lymphatic Metastasis

Objective The purpose of study is to determine the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 in invasive breast ductal cancer and to explore the relationship between their expression and lymphatic metastasis. Methods Tissue sections from 60 invasive breast ductal cancer patients were examined immunohistochemically for expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 in malignant portion and adjacent normal tissue. The correlation between the expression of VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 and clinicopathological features was analyzed. Results Positive VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 immunostaining was detected in 78% and 83% of breast cancer respectively. The median scores of VEGF-C expression was 6 in lymph node metastasis group versus 1 in lymph node negative group (P 0.01 ). The median scores of VEGF-R3 expression was 6 in lymph node metastasis group versus 2 in lymph node negative group (P 0.01 ).A positive correlation was observed between VEGF-C and VEGF-R3(P 0.01 ). Conclusion VEGF-C and VEGF-R3 might play an important role in regional lymph nodes metastasis and progression of breast cancer.