title: Correlation between lymph node metastasis and the expression of VEGF-C, VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 in T1 lung adenocarcinoma.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and VEGF-D influence lymphangiogenesis through the activation of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-3. They have been implicated in lymphatic tumor spread, which is an important prognostic factor in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Whether or not the expression of VEGF-C, -D, and VEGFR-3 correlates with clinicopathological factors in patients with T1 lung adenocarcinoma was analysed. The tumor specimens were homogenized to determine the protein expression of VEGF-C, -D, and VEGFR-3 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA fractions extracted from the tumor tissues were subjected to real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assess the mRNA levels of VEGF-C, -D, and VEGFR-3. The expression of VEGF-D protein and mRNA levels in patients without lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those with metastasis (p=0.013, p=0.0494, respectively). However, the protein and mRNA levels of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were not significantly different in patients with or without metastasis. The 5-year survival rates of the patients with high VEGF-D levels were significantly higher than those of patients with low levels (p =0.0221). No significant difference in the survival rates was observed for VEGF-C and VEGFR-3. VEGF-D may be downregulated in NSCLC tissues in comparison to adjacent normal tissue, resulting in lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan. nwnkr090@ybb.ne.jp
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maekawa
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakusa
authors.forename: Sotaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enatsu
authors.forename: Takehito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Motomu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroki
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015996:Survival Rate; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000235:genetics*; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000235:genetics*; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3