Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and its correlation with lymph node metastasis in colorectal carcinoma

Objective To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in colorectal carcinoma and its relationship with lymph node metastasis.Methods The expression of VEGF-C protein in colorectal carcinoma tissues obtained from 94 patients who underwent radical resection was detected by immunohistochemistry.Simultaneously,the expression of VEGF-C mRNA in 4 colorectal carcinoma cell lines was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results VEGF-C protein was expressed in 53.2% of patients.Its expression was more frequently detected in tumors with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (P 0.01), and there was significant correlation between its expression and lymphatic invasion,TNM stage (P 0.01). However,there was no significant correlation between its expression and the age,gender,tumor location,depth of invasion,and vascular invasion.Two of the 4 colorectal carcinoma cell lines,including LoVo and LoVo-5-Fu,expressed VEGF-C mRNA.Conclusion The expression of VEGF-C is closely related to lymph node metastasis,and it is likely to take part in tumor lymphangiogenesis.