title: The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and its receptors in non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and that of its receptors were assessed in non-small cell lung cancer. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive VEGF-C expression in 38.7% (24/62) of the patients studied. A significant positive correlation was found between VEGF-C in cancer cells and VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) in vascular endothelial cells, but not between VEGF-C in cancer cells and VEGFR-2 in endothelial cells. In this cohort of lung cancer patients, VEGF-C expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, lymphatic vessel invasion, and worse outcomes after the operation. Although the independent prognostic impact of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 was not clear, VEGFR-2 expression in endothelial cells retained the independency as the prognostic indicator. In light of these findings, we conclude that VEGF-C plays an important role in lymphatic invasion/metastasis and tumour progression in non-small cell lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Takara-machi 13-1, Kanazawa, 920-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kajita
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunezuka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000235:genetics*; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3
chemical_list: D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3