Clinical significance of vascular endothelial growth factors C and D and chemokine receptor CCR7 in gastric cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance of lymphangiogenic vascular endothelial growth factors C and D, and chemokine receptor CCR7 in the lymphatic spread of gastric cancer.


METHODS
The expressions of VEGF-C and -D, and CCR7 were examined in 82 gastric tumors showing a discrepancy between the degree of lymphatic invasion (Ly) and the status of lymph node metastasis (N) (Ly+N-: 72, and Ly-N+: 10 patients).


RESULTS
High expression of VEGF-C and -D, and CCR7 was present in 88%, 63% and 67% of cases, respectively. The VEGF-C expression was significantly higher in Ly+N- than Ly-N+ (p<0.05), but VEGF-D and CCR7 were not. CCR7 expression was a prognostic factor in the Ly+N- subgroup (p<0.05), but VEGF-C and -D were not.


CONCLUSIONS
VEGF-C and -D and CCR7 may play critical roles in lymphatic invasion in primary tumors. CCR7 expression should provide prognostic information in node-negative gastric cancer patients showing lymphatic invasion.
Deguchi
Katsuya
K
Division of Digestive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 6028566, Japan.
Ichikawa
Daisuke
D
Soga
Koji
K
Watanabe
Kenji
K
Kosuga
Toshiyuki
T
Takeshita
Hiroki
H
Konishi
Hirotaka
H
Morimura
Ryo
R
Tsujiura
Masahiro
M
Komatsu
Shuhei
S
Shiozaki
Atsushi
A
Okamoto
Kazuma
K
Fujiwara
Hitoshi
H
Otsuji
Eigo
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011379:Prognosis; D054400:Receptors, CCR7 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology
C515370:CCR7 protein, human; D054400:Receptors, CCR7; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D