Expressiong Of VEGF-C And VEGFR-3 In Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Correlates With Lymph Node Metastasis And Tumor Invasion

Objective:The purpose of this reaserch is to detect the expression of vascular endothlial growth factor C(VEGF-C) and its receptor,VEGF receptor (VEGFR-3) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC),and to explore the role of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in the process of lymph node metastasis and tumor invasion.Methods:The specimens were taken from 58 patients with ESCC in the Affiliated Zigong No.4 People's Hospital of Luzhou Medical college in 2010. Among the 58 cases ESCC, there are 34 cases metastsis lymph nodes and 24 cases non-metastasis lymph nodes; there are 17 cases good differentiation ESCC,25cases middle differentiation ESCC,16 cases poor differentiation ESCC.24 cases of normal esophageal tissues were used as control. The expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in 58 cases of ESCC was detected by immunohistochemistry. We analyze the relationship between these protein expression and lymph node metastasis,tumor invasion of ESCC combining the pathologic features of tumor.Results:In plasma of cancer cell of ESCC,VEGF-C positive expression was detected in 44 of 58 cases.The positive rates of VEGF-C in ESCC was 69%,and in control group was 17%. There was a significant statistic difference among the groups (P<0.05). Among the 40 positive expression cases, there are 12 cases good differentiation ESCC,18 cases middle differentiation ESCC,10 cases poor differentiation ESCC. VEGF-C positive expression was detected in 30 of 34 cases metastasis lymph nodes, the positive ratio is 88%,and 10 of 24 cases non-metastasis lymph nodes,the positive ratio is 42%.It has been found that VEGFR-3 positive expression on lymphatic endothelial cell and in plasma of cancer cell of ESCC.VEGFR-3 positive expression was detected in 38 of 58 cases ESCC, the positive frenquency was 69%,and in control group was 37%.There was a significant statistic difference among the groups (P＜0.05). Among the 38 positive expression cases, there are 13 cases good differentiation ESCC,17 cases middle differentiation ESCC,8 cases poor differentiation ESCC. VEGFR-3 positive expression was detected in 27 of 34 cases metastasis lymph nodes, the positive ratio is 79%,and 11 of 24 cases non-metastasis lymph nodes,the positive ratio is 46%.The expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 on tumor tissues was related to the lymph node metastasis and the depth of tumor invasion (P<0.05).But there was no significant association between their expression and grade of differation (P>0.05).Conclusion:The positive ratio of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 are high in ESCC.The expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 is associated with the depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis of ESCC. Detection of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 is expected to be an important biology indicator of metastasisand prognosis in ESCC, offering an objective and reliable evidence for the treatment of clinical resistance to lymph node metastasis.