Korean J Pathol.  2005 Dec;39(6):401-405.

Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-C in Breast Carcinoma

• Chung MJ
• Yang SH
• Jang KY
• Moon WS
• Kang MJ
• Lee DG

Abstract

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.

Keyword

Breast Carcinoma; VEGF-C

MeSH Terms

Breast Neoplasms*
Breast*
Carcinoma, Ductal
Cytoplasm
Estrogens
Humans
Lymph Nodes
Lymphangiogenesis
Microvessels
Neoplasm Metastasis
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C*
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3
Estrogens
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-3