Clinical significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor-C(VEGF-C) in patient with gastric carcinoma

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum VEGF-C and clinopathological parameters of gastric carcinoma;the relationship between serum VEGF-C and expression of VEGF-C in carcinoma tissues;assessed their usefulness as a diagnostic tool for determining early diagnosis or lymph node metastasis for gastric carcinoma.Methods 28 patients with gastric carcinoma and 21 healthy control patients were included in the current study.Serum VEGF-C level were assessed by enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The expression of VEGF-C in gastric carcinoma tissue from 28 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy were examined by immunohistochemistry.Results Serum VEGF-C levels were higher in patients with gastric carcinoma than in the healthy control(P0.01).Patients were divided into two groups:VEGF-C positively expression group and VEGF-C negatively expression group.Change level of serum VEGF-C in two group shows no differenc(P0.05);Serum VEGF-C was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis(P0.05),TNM stage(P0.05) and depth of invasion(P0.05).Conclusion The serum levels of VEGF-C have potential usefulness as biologic markers of gastric carcinoma;Preoperative serum VEGF-C levels was potentively useful as a marker reflecting lymph node status in gastric carcinoma;There is no relationship between serum VEGF-C level and tissue expression of VEGF-C in gastric carcinoma.