Relationship of vascular endothelial growth factor and angiogenesis to the progression of gastric carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the relationship of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenesis to the progression of gastric carcinoma (GC). METHODS: VEGF protein expression and microvessel density (MVD) in 102 cases of human GC were examined by using immunohistochemical staining. MVD and VEGF expression were analyzed together with their relations to histologic stage, depth of invasion, growth pattern and lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: MVD was significantly higher in VEGF positive GC cases than that in VEGF negative ones ( P 0.05 ). MVD and VEGF were positively correlated with lymph node metastasis ( P 0.05), but their relations to the histologic stage were not significant. VEGF was correlated with depth of invasion and growth pattern. The 5 year survival rate was significantly low in GC patients with positive expression of VEGF or MVD≥50 ( P 0.05). CONCLUSION: VEGF is highly related to angiogenesis of GC and promotes growth, invasion and metastasis of GC. VEGF or MVD is one of the predictors for the biological behavior of GC.