Expression of TGF-β1, VEGF and their clinical significance in breast cancer

Objective To observe the expression of transforming growth factor factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in breast cancer to explore the correlation between each other and their relationship with invasion, metastasis and prognosis of breast cancer. Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TGF-β1 and VEGF in 230 breast cancer tissues and adjacent tissues. The correlation between them and the relationship between their expression and the clinical pathological parameters of breast cancer were analyzed. Results The positive rates of TGF-β1 and VEGF in breast cancer were 72.6% and 68.3%, respectively. But in adjacent breast tissues, the positive rate was 21.3% and 42.2%, respectively.The expression of TGF-β1 was closely related to the histological grade, ER state and 5-year recurrence (P<0.05) , while ER status and 5-year recurrence were independent predictors of the positive expression of TGF-β1. The expression of VEGF was significantly correlated with ER status and 5-year recurrence (P<0.05) , while ER status was independent predictor of the positive expression of TGF-β1. The expression of VEGF was significantly positively correlated with the expression of TGF-β1 (γ=0.419, P<0.01) . Conclusion The expression of TGF-β1 and VEGF in breast cancer is closely related to the invasion, metastasis and prognosis of breast cancer, which has a certain clinical significance. Key words: Breast cancer; Transforming growth factor factor-β1; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Metastasis; Recurrence