Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Original Article

Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C in Breast Carcinoma.: Myoung Ja Chung, Sun Ho Yang, Kyu Yun Jang, Woo Sung Moon, Myoung Jae Kang, Dong Geun Lee; Korean J Pathol. 2005;39(6):401-405.

Abstract PDF: BACKGROUND
Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is a novel growth factor that regulates lymphangiogenesis and/or angiogenesis via binding to the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) or VEGFR-2. Recent studies have suggested that VEGF-C may play a role in lymph node metastasis. This study was conducted to examine whether the expression of VEGF-C is associated with the clinicopathologic parameters, and especially lymph node metastasis, of invasive ductal carcinoma.
METHODS
Immunohistochemical staining was performed for VEGF-C and CD31 in the surgically resected specimens from 83 patients with invasive breast carcinoma.
RESULTS
Of the 83 breast carcinomas, 61 (74%) cases showed cytoplasmic VEGF-C imunoreactivity. VEGF-C expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (p=0.03), but it did not correlate with tumor size, the histologic grade, and the presence of estrogen receptor or progesteron receptor. The mean microvessel density in the cases without VEGF-C expression was 51.9+/-30.1 and it was 72.9+/-33.0 in the cases with 2+ expression for VEGF-C (p=0.07).
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that VEGF-C expression may have an association with lymph node metastasis in the patients with breast carcinoma.

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