[Expression and clinical significance of VEGF and its receptors Flt-1 and KDR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1) and kinase insert domain containing receptor (KDR) play critical roles in angiogenesis and tumor progression. This study was to explore the correlations of VEGF, Flt-1 and KDR expression to clinical features and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.


METHODS
Immunohistochemistry was adopted to detect the expression of VEGF, Flt-1, and KDR in 127 specimens of NPC. SPSS statistical software was used to analyze their correlations to clinical features and prognosis of NPC patients.


RESULTS
The positive rates of VEGF,Flt-1,and KDR were 66.9%, 90.6%, and 88.2% in the NPC specimens. The expression of VEGF was positively related to the expression of Flt-1 and KDR (r=0.292, P<0.01; r=0.287, P<0.01). The expression of Flt-1 was positively related to the expression of KDR (r=0.723, P<0.01). VEGF expression was related to primary tumor site, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage (P=0.04, P<0.01, P=0.02, respectively); KDR expression was related to primary tumor site (P=0.03); all of them were related to local recurrence and/or distal metastasis (P<0.01, P<0.01, P=0.01, respectively), and poor overall survival (P<0.01, P=0.01, P=0.03, respectively). Cox multivariate analysis showed age of more than 50 years and positive VEGF expression were independent prognostic factors (P<0.01, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
VEGF, Flt-1, and KDR are widely expressed in NPC tissues, and are positively related to clinical features and prognosis of NPC patients.
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, P. R. China.
Dan
D
Sha
You-Jian
YJ
He
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D015996:Survival Rate; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000378:metabolism*
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2