title: Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and -D in gastric carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and (VEGF)-D are ligands of VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-3 (Flt-4) and VEGFR-2 (KDR/FLK-1) and are supposed to participate in lymphangiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of the expression of these factors and to evaluate their relationship with prognosis in patients with gastric carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty pairs of normal mucosa and cancer specimens were obtained from patients who had undergone gastrectomy for primary gastric carcinoma and subjected to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for VEGF-C, VEGF-D, and VEGFR-3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both VEGF-C and VEGF-D mRNA expression significantly correlated with lymphatic invasion (P < 0.05). Although VEGF-C and -D were concomitantly expressed in most cases, only VEGF-C expression was related to lymph node metastasis. VEGFR-3 expression was associated both with VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression, but not with lymph node metastasis. Tumors expressing these mRNAs tended to correlate with poorer prognosis, but the relationships were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that both VEGF-C and VEGF-D are involved in lymphatic spreading of gastric cancer cells, which is clinically useful for the evaluation of lymphatic invasion in patients with gastric carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shinbashi, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan. atsuoshida@ybb.ne.jp
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shida
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.forename: Katsutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nimura
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mitsumori
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanaga
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000378:metabolism*; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000378:metabolism*; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3