Expression of VEGF-C protein and its clinical significance in prostate cancers

Purpose To detect the expression of VEGF-C protein in prostate cancers(PCa) tissues and to explore its correlation with clinicopathological parameters.Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect VEGF-C protein in 78 cases of PCa,21 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues and to analyze the relationship between the expression levels and clinicopathological parameters as well as prognosis.Results The positive rate of VEGF-C protein in PCa tissues(71.7%,56/78) was significantly higher than benign prostatic hyperplasia(0,0/21)(P 0.001).Increased expression of VEGF-C protein was more often detected in PCa with high Gleason score(P = 0.007),advanced T stage(P 0.001),lymph node metastasis(P 0.001) and overall survival(P = 0.012).Conclusion Our data indicate that VEGF-C may play a catalytic role in carcinogenesis and progression of PCa.The expression of VEGF-C protein has a certain relationship with an early event in tumorigenesis,differentiation and lymph node metastasis and may become a potentially useful target for prognostic and therapeutic application in PCa.