Vascular endothelial growth factor C,D promote formation of lymphatic vessel in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective:To investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor C(VEGF-C),D(VEGF-D),and lymphatic vessel formation induced by them in the spreading of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods: We evaluated the expression of VEGF-C and D in 64 ESCC specimens and assessed the lymphatic vessel density(LVD) in tumor and adjacent tissues by using D2-40 immunostaining.And their relationship with the clinicopathological parameters of ESCC was analyzed.Results: The expression of VEGF-C and D was significantly higher in the tumor and adjacent tissues compared with that in the normal control tissue(P0.01),and their expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastases(P0.01),TNM stage(P0.05) and tumor infiltration depth(P0.05).LVD was significantly higher in tumor and adjacent tissues than in normal tissue(P0.05);but LVD was not correlated with the clinicopathological parameters,including lymph node metastasis.In addition,the LVD in the VEGF-C or VEGF-D positive groups was significantly higher than that in the negative group(P0.05).Conclusion: Our results suggest VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression may promote lymphangiogenesis in esophageal carcinoma,contributing to metastasis of ESCC to regional lymph node.