VEGF-C and its receptor expression in gastric carcinoma and relationship with lymph node metastasis

[Objective] To explore the relationship between the expression of VEGF-C,VEGFR-3 and lymphatic metastasis in gastric cancer.[Methods] Immunohistochemistry(SP) was used to detect the expression of VEGF-C and its receptor VEGFR-3 in 54 samples of gastric cancer and 15 samples of normal gastric tissue.[Results] In 54 gastric cancers,35 samples were stained VEGF-C positive,which positive rates was 64.8%,while the positive rates of VEGF-C in normal gastric tissues was only 13.3%(2/15).There were significantly inversely correlation between the expression of VEGF-C,VEGFR-3 and the size of tumor,the invasive depth,lymph node metastasis and TNM stage(P 0.05).The expression of VEGF-C was of consanguineous correlation with the difference of high-middle and low differentiation(P 0.05),while there was no consanguineous correlation between the expression of VEGFR-3 and the differentiation degree of tumor(P 0.05).And the expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 was of significantly positive correlation(P 0.01,r =0.699).[Conclusions] VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 had promoting effect in the happening,developing and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer.It can reduce the lymph node metastasis probability of gastric cancer and improve the patient prognosis by interrupting the combination of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3.