The Relationship Between Correlated Protein Expressions Of Lymphangiogenesis In Non-small Cell Lung Cancer And Its Clinical Characteristics And Prognosis

Cancer dissemination and metastasis are important prognosis factors in Non-small cell lung cancer,its major reason belongs to new angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis . Vascular endothelial growth factor-C(VEGF-C),a novel VEGF member ,has been proved an important lymphangiogenesis factor.When it binds to its respectors VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, they will activate lymphangiogenesis,which makes a good chance for lymph node metastasis in tumor. VEGFR-3, a receptor tyrosine kinase of VEGF receptors family, is so far the first specific antigenic marker for the lymphatic endothelium and expresses almost only in lymphatic endothelium cell.Recently,with more and more specific lymphatic endothelium marker to be found, lymphangiogenesis has become been a research hotspot of tumor metastasis.Currently,some study have shown that there are some relation between lymphangiogenesis and clinical characteristics in colorectal cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer and so on.But few study is finished about this field in Non-small cell lung cancer.Objective: To investigate relation between correlated protein expressions of lymphangiogenesis and clinical characteristics and prognosis of Non-small cell lung cancer,and study further mechanism of lymph node metastasis in tumor,and hope to find a new way for tumor therapy.Method: A total 58 cases of NSCLC patients with detail clinical complete postoperative follow-up records and 36 cases of normal lung tissues in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 1,2001 to December 31,2001 are enrolled in this study. The expressions of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 were detected in 58 paraffin sections of NSCLC and 36 cases of normal lung tissues by immunohistochemistry(LsAB). Lymphtic vessel density(LVD) were counted.All datas were analysed by SPSS 13.0.Results: 1.The positive expression rate of VEGF-C in 58 cases of NSCLC was 65.5%. VEGF-C expression was nagatively associated with the degree of differentiation of tumor cell and more frequently found in tumors with lymph node metastasis than in those without it. The peritumoral LVD in VEGF-C positive expression group was signifinantly higher than in VEGF-C negative expression group,but there was no difference in intratumoral LVD between two groups. The study showed positive correlation between VEGF-C expression with peritumoral LVD and lymph node metastasis,and negative correlation with the degree of differentiation of tumor cell.2. The LVD in peritumoral tissues was signifinantly higher than that in intratumoral tissue and normal lung tissues,but there was no signifinant difference between intratumoral tissues and normal lung tissues. Peritumoral LVD of NSCLC tissues in lymph node metastasis group,VEGF-C positive expression group,stage III and IV group was signifinantly higher than no lymph node metastasis group,VEGF-C nagetive expression group,stage I and II group. There was no signifinant correlation between intratumoral LVD and each clinical characteristic of NSCLC.3. According to survival analysis, VEGF-C positive expression and high peritumoral LVD were nagetively correlated with five-years survival rate of patients.From multivariate analysis, VEGF-C expression in cancer cell and peritumoral LVD in NSCLC tissues were retained signifmantly nagetive prognotic impact on overall survival.Conclusion: 1.There was overexpression of VEGF-C in NSCLC. Peritumoral LVD and lymph node metastasis of VEGF-C positive expression group was signifmantly higher than VEGF-C negative expression group, which was possibly disclosed that VEGF-C expression correlated with high peritumoral LVD and lynph node metastasis in NSCLC.2. Peritumoral LVD is signifinantly higher than intratumoral LVD in NSCLC,which indicated that high peritumoral LVD was an important impact on lymph node metastasis in NSCLC.3. VEGF-C positive expression and high peritumoral LVD in NSCLC cound be useful predictors of poor prognosis in NSCLC.