title: Clinical significance of VEGF-C status in tumour cells and stromal macrophages in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: Recent experimental studies have revealed that tumour-associated stromal macrophages as well as tumour cells express vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C), which plays important roles in lymphangiogenesis, which is a critical factor in the progression of many malignant tumours including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, no clinical study on VEGF-C expression in both stromal macrophages and tumour cells has been reported, and we conducted the present study to address the issue in resected NSCLC. A total of 206 patients with completely resected pathologic stage I-IIIA NSCLC were retrospectively reviewed. Expression of VEGF-C in primary lung tumour was assessed immunohistochemically. Expression of VEGF-C in tumour cells was high in 125 patients (60.7%), and that in stromal macrophages was positive in 136 patients (71.2%). The status of VEGF-C in tumour cells or in stromal macrophages was not correlated with nodal status or angiogenesis. The 5-year survival rate of high tumoral VEGF-C patients (60.7%) was significantly lower than that of low tumoral VEGF-C patients (39.3%) (P=0.046), and a multivariate analysis confirmed that tumoral VEGF-C status was a significant and independent prognostic factor. Moreover, tumour showing high VEGF-A and VEGF-C expression in tumour cells showed the poorest prognosis (5-year survival rate, 45.1%). The status of VEGF-C in stromal macrophages was not correlated with the prognosis. In conclusion, tumoral VEGF-C status, not stromal VEGF-C status, was a significant prognostic factor in resected NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanagihara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurozumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manabe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017154:Stromal Cells; D016019:Survival Analysis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: C467484:VEGFA protein, human; C467486:VEGFC protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C