Correlation of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expressions with lymph node metastasis in breast cancer

Objective To study the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor C(VEGF-C) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3(VEGFR-3) in breast cancer and their correlations with lymph node metastasis.Methods Immunohistochemical SP method was adopted in detecting VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 protein expressions in 60 cases of breast cancer and 15 cases of breast fibroadenoma as controls.Results The positive rate and degree of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expressions in breast cancer were significantly higher than those in the control group(P0.05).VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were conspicuously higher in lymph-node-positive group than in lymph-node-negative group(P0.05).The expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were positively correlated with axillary lymph node metastasis;VEGF-C expression was positively associated with VEGFR-3.However,there were no significant differences in pathologic features,tumor size and clinical stage.Conclusion The expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were higher in breast cancer,and they promoted lymph node metastasis.