Expression and significance of EGFR and VEGF in colorectal carcinoma

Objective:To investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in colorectal carcinoma(CRC) and adjacent normal colorectal mucosa by immunohistochemical staining and explore their relationship with clinicopathological features.Methods:The expressions of EGFR and VEGF were studied by immunohistochemical En Vision staining in 58 colorectal carcinoma specimens(20 patients40 years of age) and 28 cases of adjacent normal tissues as control.The correlation of VEGF and EGFR expressions with the clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed statistically.Results:The positive rates of EGFR and VEGF were 43.10% and 48.27% respectively in colorectal carcinoma.However,in adjacent normal colorectal tissues,they were 7.14% and 10.71% respectively.Expressions of EGFR and VEGF proteins were significantly higher in colorectal carcinoma than those in normal tissues(P0.01).In colorectal carcinoma cases,the expression of EGFR and VEGF was related to lymph node metastasis and TNM stage(P0.05).In addition,higher lymph node metastasis in coexpression of EGFR and VEGF was more frequently observed in the cases with age40(P0.05).Conclusion:The overexpression of EGFR and VEGF was closely correlated to clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in colorectal carcinoma.It might be served as an important factor for evaluating tumor biological behavior and prognosis.Presenting higher expression and coexpression of EGFR and VEGF,early-onset colorectal carcinomas show pathologic features associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis.