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。VEGF-C在某些肿瘤中的表达与淋巴结转移密切相关，但在舌癌中的意义尚不清楚。本研究的目的是阐明舌癌患者肿瘤组织中VEGF-C的临床病理学意义。对1986年至1999年在独协大学附属医院口腔颌面外科接受治疗并随访的39例舌鳞状细胞癌（SCC）患者进行了研究。通过对治疗前所有患者的术前活检标本进行组织学检查，确诊。根据Anneroth等的方法判断组织学恶性程度和浸润方式，根据WHO指南判断分化程度。作为第一抗体，兔多克隆抗体，识别VEGF-C，购自圣克鲁斯生物技术公司（圣克鲁斯，CA，USA）。VEGF-C表达与肿瘤T分期、区域淋巴结转移、临床分期、分化程度、浸润方式、浸润深度等均无明显相关性。VEGF-C表达与病理淋巴结转移密切相关。（p=0.0216）结论VEGF-C在舌鳞癌组织中的表达可能与舌鳞癌的转移有关，抑制VEGF-C的表达可能是舌鳞癌治疗的一个可行策略。

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.