Pathobiological significance of vascular endothelial growth factor and Maspin expressions in human gastric carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cell differentiation, invasion, metastasis and Maspin expression in gastric carcinoma.


METHODS
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 73 cases of gastric carcinoma were studied with SP immunohistochemistry, using anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, and thirty-nine of them were studied using anti-Maspin monoclonal antibody. VEGF expression was compared with the clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and Borrmann's and WHO's classification of gastric carcinoma.


RESULTS
The positive rate of VEGF expression was significantly higher in adjacent non-carcinoma epithelia (ANCE) than in non-metaplastic, non-carcinoma gastric epithelia (NMNCE), which were at least 4 cm distant from the primary tumor (P = 0.000, chi2 = 73.03). The positive rate of VEGF expression was significantly higher in advanced gastric carcinoma (AGC) than in early gastric carcinoma (EGC) (P = 0.032, chi2 = 4.62). The positive rate of VEGF expression in gastric carcinomas with lymph node metastases was significantly higher than that in those without metastasis (P = 0.006, chi2 = 7.47). Maspin was weakly expressed in 16 out of 39 cases of NMNCE, and the positive immunoreaction was limited to gland cells of the stomach body. There was no significant correlation between the expression of VEGF and histological or gross classifications, and correlation between the expressions of VEGF and Maspin in gastric carcinoma (P = 0.648, chi2 = 0.21).


CONCLUSIONS
Expression of VEGF is significantly correlated to the malignant biological behaviors of gastric carcinoma, but there is no significant correlation between the expression of VEGF and Maspin.
No.4 Laboratory, Cancer Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
Jian-Jun
JJ
Li
Ying
Y
Chen
Su-Min
SM
Zhang
Dong-Ying
DY
Wu
Yan-Ping
YP
Wang
Yan
Y
Xin
D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D005260:Female; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015843:Serpins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
D011506:Proteins; C085344:SERPIN-B5; D015843:Serpins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A