title: [Correlation of the expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 to the pathological grade of prostate cancer].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlation of the expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 to the pathological grade of human prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in 25 cases of prostate cancer tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total positivity rates of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were 80% and 76% in these cancer tissues, respectively. The positivity rates of VEGF-C was 94.7% in the 19 cases with Gleason scores no less than 6 (group I), significantly higher than the rate (33%) in the 6 cases with Gleason scores between 4 and 6 (group II) (P<0.01). The positivity rates for VEGFR-3 also showed a significant difference between groups I and II (89.5% vs 33.3%, P<0.05). The expression level of VEGF-C was correlated to the Gleason score of prostate cancer (R=0.436, P<0.05), and the correlation between VEGFR-3 and the Gleason score was even more obvious (R=0.608, P<0.01). Their expressions, however, did not show any correlations to the patients age, PSA or the volume of the prostate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 may serve as new markers for evaluating the malignancy of prostate cancer with Gleason score not less than 4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Southern Medical University, Jiangmen 529000, China. ame505@163.com
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guo-ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ning-xin
authors.initials: NX
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Jian-sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Dong-sheng
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Zhen-hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yu-hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Xin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000378:metabolism*; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C467486:VEGFC protein, human; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D040321:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3