[The relationship between lymphatic metastasis and serum vascular endothelial growth factor C and cyclooxygenase 2 expression in breast cancer].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship among the serum vascular endothelial growth factor C (sVEGF-C), expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and lymph vessel density (LMVD), and to discuss their role in tumor progression and lymphatic metastasis.


METHODS
sVEGF-C level was detected by ELISA in 68 pre-operation breast cancer patients, 35 breast benign disease patients, and 12 healthy women. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of COX-2 and lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronidase receptor (LYVE)-1 in the breast cancer tissues and benign disease tissues obtained during operation.


RESULTS
(1) The sVEGF-C level of the pre-operation breast cancer group was (49 +/- 8) pg/ml, significantly higher than those of the begin tumor group [(8 +/- 4) pg/ml, P = 0.045] and the healthy women [(5 +/- 3) pg/ml, P = 0.003]. (2) The COX-2 overexpression positive rate in the breast cancer tissues was 44.1%, significantly higher than that in the begin disease tissues (11.4%, P = 0.002). Higher than that in the begin disease tissue; the LMVD overexpression in the breast cancer tissues was mainly located in the para-carcinoma tissue (8.7 +/- 4.7), significantly higher than that in the begin disease tissues (1.8 +/- 1.7, P = 0.002). (3) The COX-2 overexpression rate of the patients with a high sVEGF-C level was significantly higher than that of the patients with a low sVEGF-C level (P = 0.024). The LMVD level in the breast cancer of the sVEGF-C high level group was (8.7 +/- 3.9), significantly higher than that of the sVEGF-C normal group (5.6 +/- 3.3, P = 0.039). (4) The LMVD in the COX-2 overexpression breast cancer group was 9.5 +/- 3.7, significantly higher than that in the COX-2 negative group (6.0 +/- 3.8, P = 0.012). (5) The sVEGF-C level, COX-2, and LMVD expression in the breast cancer patients with lymphatic metastasis were significantly higher than those in the patients without lymphatic metastasis (P = 0.025, 0.022, and 0.002 respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
VEGF-C, COX-2, and LMVD play important roles in the lymphatic metastasis of breast cancer. They may be important prognostic factors in evaluating breast cancer lymphatic metastasis.
Li
En-Xiao
EX
Cancer Center, First Affiliated Hospital of the School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
Shi
Fan
F
Wu
Yin-Ying
YY
Wu
Yuan
Y
Guo
Jun-Jun
JJ
Dong
Dan-Feng
DF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000097:blood*; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
C119248:LYVE1 protein, human; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human