Clinical significance of vascular endothelial growth factor-C(VEGF-C) in tumor tissue of patients with tongue cancer

VEGF- c具有VEGF家族成员特有的VEGF同源结构域。VEGF-C作为淋巴管生成因子，诱导淋巴管增生。对于某些肿瘤，VEGF-C的表达与淋巴结转移有显著相关性，但在人类舌癌中的意义尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨VEGF-C在舌癌患者肿瘤组织中的临床病理意义。对1986 ~ 1999年在Dokkyo大学附属医院口腔颌面外科确诊治疗的39例舌鳞癌患者进行了随访研究。通过治疗前对所有患者术前活检标本的组织学检查证实了诊断。根据Anneroth等的方法判断组织学恶性分级及浸润方式。根据世卫组织指南确定分化程度。兔多克隆抗体可识别VEGF-C，购自Santa Cruz Biotechnology （Santa Cruz， CA， USA）。结果39例舌癌患者VEGF阳性6例（28.2%）。VEGF-C表达与T分型、区域淋巴结转移、临床分期、分化、浸润方式、肿瘤浸润深度均无显著相关性。病理淋巴结转移与VEGF-C表达有显著相关性。结论VEGF-C在舌鳞状细胞癌中的表达可能对舌鳞状细胞癌的转移有重要影响，可能是获取舌鳞状细胞癌转移信息的有效途径。抑制VEGF-C可能是未来治疗舌鳞状细胞癌的可行策略。

VEGF-C has the VEGF homology domain that is characteristic for VEGF family member. VEGF-C serves as a lymphangiogenic factor, and induces lymph vessel hyperplasia. For some tumors the VEGF-C expression significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis, however there is still little information on the significance in to human tongue cancer. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the clinicopathological significance of VEGF-C in tumor tissue of patients with tongue cancerThirty-nine patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were diagnosed treated, and followed from 1986 to 1999 at the department of oral maxillofacial surgery, Dokkyo university hospital, were studied. The diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination of preoperative biopsy specimens taken from all patients prior to treatment. The histological malignancy grading and the mode of invasion were judged according to the method of Anneroth et al. The degree of differentiation was determined in according with WHO guidelines. As primary antibodies, rabbit polyclonal antibodies, which recognized VEGF-C, were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA, USA).ResultsEleven of 39 (28.2%) patients with tongue cancer were positive for VEGF. There were no significant correlations between VEGF-C expression and T classification, regional lymph node metastasis, clinical stage, differentiation, mode of invasion, or depth of tumor invasion. There was a significant correlation between pathological lymph node metastases and VEGF-C expression. (p=0.0216)ConclusionThese results suggest that VEGF-C expression in tongue SCC may have important consequences for metastasis and may be useful approach in obtaining information concerning the metastasis of tongue SCC.And also suppression of VEGF-C may be a feasible strategy for tongue SCC treatment in future.