title: VEGF and cortactin expression are independent predictors of tumor recurrence following curative resection of gastric cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the clinicopathological role of expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cortactin, as well as whether their expression are independent predictors of tumor recurrence following curative resection of gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred twenty-eight patients with gastric cancer were included in this study. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were stained for VEGF and cortactin, and the correlation between the staining, clinicopathological parameters and prognostic power were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 128 patients studied, 58 (45.3%) and 71 (55.5%) cases were strongly positive for VEGF and cortactin, respectively. VEGF expression correlated with Lauren classification (P < 0.001), pathological tumor stage (P < 0.001), and pathological tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P = 0.003). Cortactin expression correlated with pathological lymph node stage (P = 0.018), pathological TNM stage (P < 0.001), and degree of differentiation (P < 0.001). There were statistically significant associations between tumor recurrence and VEGF expression (P = 0.023), and cortactin expression (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, pathological TNM stage, VEGF expression, and cortactin expression were independent prognostic influence on disease-free survival (P < 0.001, 0.022, and 0.034, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VEGF and cortactin may be a good biomarker to be applied in clinic to predict the prognosis of patients with curatively resected gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, affiliated to The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Weiguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Mingcong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huita
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jiejun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D051356:Cortactin / Q000032:analysis*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051356:Cortactin; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A