title: Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of galectin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression of galectin-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in gastric cancer and investigate their relationships with clinicopathologic factors and prognostic significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Galectin-1 and VEGF were immunohistochemically investigated in tumor samples obtained from 214 gastric cancer patients with all tumor stages. Immunohistochemical analyses for galectin-1 and VEGF expression were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of surgical specimens. The relationship between the expression and staining intensity of galectin-1 and VEGF, clinicopathologic variables, and patient survival were analyzed. All patients underwent follow-up until cancer-related death or more than five years after tumor resection. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that 138 of 214 gastric cancer samples (64.5%) were positive for galectin-1, and 116 out of 214 gastric cancer samples (54.2%) were positive for VEGF. There was a significant association between galectin-1 and VEGF expression; VEGF was detected in 60.1% of galectin-1-positive samples and 43.4% of galectin-1-negative samples (P < 0.05). Galectin-1 expression was associated with tumor size, tumor location, stage, lymph node metastases, and VEGF expression (all P < 0.05). VEGF expression was related to tumor size, stage, and lymph node metastases (all P < 0.05). The 5-year survival rate was 56.6% for galectin-1-positive patients and 69.2% for galectin-1-negative patients, and the prognosis for galectin-1-positive patients was significantly poorer compared with galectin-1-negative patients (χ² = 13.880, P = 0.000). The 5-year survival rates for VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative patients were 53.4% and 70.5%, respectively (χ² = 4.619, P = 0.032). The overall survival rate of patients with both galectin-1 and VEGF overexpression in gastric cancer tissue samples was significantly poorer than other groups (both P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Galectin-1 expression was positively associated with VEGF expression. Both galectin-1 and VEGF can serve as independent prognostic indicators of poor survival for gastric cancer after gastrectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Yixing People's Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Yixing 214200, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Su-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Qiang
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tian-Zhou
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Zha
authors.forename: Yi-Zhong
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D037483:Galectin 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D037483:Galectin 1; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: Galectin-1; Gastric cancer; Prognosis; Vascular endothelial growth factor