J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2015 Feb;41(1):11-18. 10.5125/jkaoms.2015.41.1.11.

Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in oral squamous cell carcinoma

• Kim SK
• Park SG
• Kim KW

• KMID: 2328648
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5125/jkaoms.2015.41.1.11

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The goal of this study was to determine the correlation of clinicopathological factors and the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Immunohistochemical staining of VEGF and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of VEGF mRNA were performed in 20 specimens from 20 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and another 20 specimens from 20 patients with carcinoma in situ as a controlled group.
RESULTS
The results were as follows: 1) In immunohistochemical study of poorly differentiated and invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma, high-level staining of VEGF was observed. Significant correlation was observed between immunohistochemical VEGF expression and histologic differentiation, tumor size of specimens (Pearson correlation analysis, significance r>0.6, P<0.05). 2) In VEGF quantitative RT-PCR analysis, progressive cancer showed more VEGF expression than carcinoma in situ. Paired-samples analysis determined the difference of VEGF mRNA expression level between cancer tissue and carcinoma in situ tissue, between T1 and T2-4 (Student's t-test, P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that up-regulation of VEGF may play a role in the angiogenesis and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Keyword

Squamous cell carcinoma; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Real-time polymerase chain reaction; Immunohistochemistry

MeSH Terms

Carcinoma in Situ
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Messenger
Up-Regulation
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*
RNA, Messenger
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Immunohistochemical staining of vascular endothelial growth factor of oral carcinoma in situ (×200).

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  Fig. 2 Immunohistochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor (arrows) of moderate differentiated oral squamous cell carcinoma (×200).

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  Fig. 3 Immunohistochemical staining for vascular endothelial growth factor (arrows) of poor differentiated and invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (×200).

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  Fig. 4 Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of VEGF mRNA (VEGF/GAPDH×100). (VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor, GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase)

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