The Study Of VEGF-C Expression And Lymph Node Metastasis In Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Tongue

Objective: This study measured VEGF-C expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and evaluated the relationship between VEGF-C expression and cervical lymph node metastasis.Materials & Methods: The expression of VEGF-C and cytokeratin AE1/AE3 in specimens obtained from 74 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was examined by immunohistopathology.Results: VEGF-C expression was mainly identified in the cytoplasm of cancer cells and always took a yellowish brown granular or sandy shape. VEGF-C expression of the infiltrative border was stronger than the central portion and the superficial part. But the expression of VEGF-C was negative in normal oral mucosa.Among the 74 tongue cancer patients, high level VEGF-C expression was detected in 39 cases (52.7%), while low level expression of VEGF-C was detected in 35 cases (47.3%). Metastasis was demonstrated in the cervical lymph nodes in 38 cases.Fisher's exact test showed that VEGF-C expression was highly correlated with cervical lymph nodes metastasis in early stages (T1,T2 stages) tongue cancer, whereas the correlation between VEGF-C expression and metastasis in late stages (T3,T4 stages) tongue cancer was not significant.Binary Logistic regression reflected that lymph node metastasis was correlate with VEGF-C expression, T stages and N stages. But Multinomial Logistic regression only found correlation between VEGF-C expression and lymph node metastasis (P<0.01).Conclusions: VEGF-C expression has a high predictive value in early stages tongue cancer. High levels expression of VEGF-C always indicates the ability of inducing lymphangiogenesis of the tumor and a high possibility of cervical lymph node metastasis.