[Relationship between VEGF-C expression and nasopharyngeal carcinoma proliferation and metastasis].
OBJECTIVE
To detect the expression of VEGF-C in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and explore its relationship with proliferation and metastasis of NPC.


METHODS
Biopsy specimens of 62 NPC patients were divided into 2 equal portions, one for immunohistochemical staining with VEGF-C polyclonal antibody by streptavidin peroxidase method, another for flow cytometry with Ki67 antibody to analyze the proliferation of tumors. The patients were followed up periodically, and then their 3-year survival and the cause of death were statistically analyzed.


RESULTS
Of the 62 patients, the percentage of VEGF-C positive cells in the tumors ranged from 0 - 82%, 17 (27.4%) were negative, 13 (21.0%) weak positive, 18 (29.0%) moderate positive and 14 (22.6%) strong positive. Ki67 positive tumor cells ranged from 0 - 52%, 40 cases (64.5%) showed low expression which include 15 cases of negative, 22 (35.5%) showed high expression. There was a direct relationship between the expression of VEGF-C and Ki67 (r = 0.323, P < 0.05). The 3-year survival rate of 62 patients was 66.1%. The expression of VEGF-C in the patients with positive lymph node was much higher than that with negative lymph node (P < 0.01). Among the 8 patients with distant metastasis, their VEGF-C expression was strong positive while among the 21 disease free survival patients, their VEGF-C expression was (-) or (+) account for 80.9%. An inverse correlation was found between the VEGF-C expression and prognosis of NPC patients, but the difference has no statistical significance (r = -0.219, P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
High expression of VEGF-C is related with proliferation and metastasis of NPC cells. It is not an independent prognostic factor, but a predictive marker of disease-free survival of NPC patients.
Shi
Xiao-yan
XY
Molecular Cancer Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Hu
Guo-qing
GQ
Yuan
Xiang-lin
XL
Li
Hong-yu
HY
Liu
You-qing
YQ
Ma
Ding
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015996:Survival Rate; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000378:metabolism*
D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C