Expression of VEGF and the relationship between VEGF and MVD in esophageal carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenesis in esophageal carcinoma and the relationship between them and clinicopathologic factors.Methods S-P immunohistochemical method was used to examine VEGF expression and MVD in 59 cases of esophageal carcinoma and 20 cases of normal esophageal mucosas. Results The positive rate of VEGF(81.36%) and MVD (41.81±8.44) in esophageal carcinoma were both higher than those in normal esophageal mucosas(23.33%,12.13±2.81) respectively. The difference was significant (P0.01). The expression of VEGF and MVD were closely related to tumor's pathological grade, lymphatic metastasis, but not related to tumor's invasion depth. The average MVD was higher in the cases with positive expression of VEGF than those without expression of VEGF (P0.05).Conclusion VEGF is positively correlated with the growth, progression and lymphatic metastasis of esophageal carcinoma. Quantification of VEGF in esophageal carcinoma may provide a valuable marker for prognosis and biological treatment of patients with esophageal carcinoma.