title: VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression and its correlation with lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell cancer tissue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To explore vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and VEGF-D expression and its correlation with lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Immunohistochemical methods were applied to detect the levels of VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression in 64 surgicall removal ESCC tissues, tissues adjacent to cancer and normal tissues, and the relationship between VEGF-C and VEGF-D expression and lymph node metastasis was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both VEGF-C and VEGF-D were expressed by varying degrees in esophageal cancer tissue, the tissue adjacent to cancer and normal tissue, and the positive expression rate went down successively. The positive expression rates of VEGF-C (59.4%) and VEGF-D (43.8%) in esophageal cancer tissue were significantly higher than in the tissue adjacent to cancer (34.4%, 15.6%) and normal tissue (20.3%, 12.5%), respectively, in which significant differences were manifested (p<0.01). Positive expression rates of VEGF-C and VEGF-D in esophageal cancers with lymph node metastasis were markedly higher than without such metastasis (p<0.01), while those in the tissue with TNM staging I~II were markedly lower than that with TNM staging III~IV (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both VEGF-C and VEGF-D are highly expressed in ESCC tissue, which may be related to the lymph node metastasis of cancer cells. Hence, VEGF-C and VEGF-D can be clinically considered as important reference indexes of lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer.
authors: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Beijing Tian Tan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China E-mail : ttyyyz@sina.com.
authors: Zeng
authors: Z
authors: Yang
authors: Yong-Gang
authors: YG
authors: Wang
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Su
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D000077277:Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D042582:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D