Abstract:
Objective Both the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-D) and its receptor, VEGFR-3, is considered correlated with lymphangiogenesis. This study attempts to identify the clinical significance of VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 expressions in lymph node metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC).
Methods The tissue specimens of lung tumors from 52 NSCLC patients were analyzed. Pulmonary tissues from 30 patients with other lung diseases without cancers were included in the study as the controls. A semi-quantitative multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction technology was applied to measure the expression levels of VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 mRNA.
Results 1) The expressions of VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 mRNA in the lung tumor tissues were significantly higher compared with those of benign diseases (P < 0.05). 2) The VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 mRNA levels in the tumor tissues of the NSCLC patients showed no differences between the groups with and without nodal metastasis (P>0.05).
Conclusion The VEGF-D and VEGFR-3 expression levels correlate with the occurrence of lung cancer.