Expression And Significance Of VEGF-A And VEGF-C In Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Objective: To investigate protein expression and significance of Vascularendothelial growth factor-A（VEGF-A） and Vascular endothelial growth factor-C（VEGF-C） in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) and its relationship withclinicopathologic features.Methods: The expression of VEGF-A mRNA andVEGF-C mRNA in30cases of PTC and30cases of NT specimens was evaluated byreal time polymerase chain reaction （Real time PCR）technique; and the expressionof VEGF-A and VEGF-C protein in100cases of DTC（50cases of PTC and50cases of FTC with complete clinical data） and20NT specimens was evaluated bystreptavidin-perosidase（SP） immunohistochemistry. Results: Real time polymerasechain reaction (Real time PCR): The expression of VEGF-A mRNA and VEGF-CmRNA in PTC is higher than NT. The expression of VEGF-A mRNA is correlatedwith the volume of the primary malignancy tissues of PTC，the expression ofVEGF-A mRNA is increasing while primary malignancy tissues becomebigger.The expression of VEGF-C mRNA in PTC with lymph node metastases ishigher than PTC without lymph node metastases. Immunohistochemistry: Thepositive rate of VEGF-A and VEGF-C in DTC is higher than NT. The positiverate of VEGF-A is correlated with the volume of the primary malignancy of DTC，the expression of VEGF-A in bigger primary malignancy tissues is stronger thansmaller ones. Positive rates of VEGF-C in PTC、FTC and NT tissues weresignificantly different (48.0%vs.24.0%vs.10%).Positive rates of VEGF-C werehigher in PTC with lymph node metastases than PTC without metastases and PTCwith bone or lung metastases. Positive rates of VEGF-C were higher in FTC withlymph node metastases than FTC without metastases and FTC with bone or lungmetastases.The difference between PTC and FTC mainly exsit in group without metastases and group with bone or lung metastases. Conclusion: VEGF-A is closelyrelated to the local growth of DTC,VEGF-C is closely related to lymph nodemetastasis of DTC,they may play an important role in the growth and lymph nodemetastasis of DTC.The expression of VEGF-C is higher in PTC than FTC,it canexplain the different liability to lymph node metastasis of PTC and FTC.Highexpression of VEGF-C in tumor tissue may be a predictor of the lymph nodemetastasis of DTC.