Expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor C protein in breast cancer tissues and its clinical significance

Objective: To study the expression of vascular endothelial cell growth factor C (VEGF-C) protein in breast cancer tissues and its clinical significance. Methods: The expression of VEGF-C protein was detected by immunohistochemistry in specimens from 60 patients with breast cancer and 12 patients with benign breast disease, and its correlations with microvascular density (MVD), microlymphatic density (MLD), PC-NA and clinicopathological factors were investigated. Results: VEGF-C expression was higher in breast cancer tissues than in benign breast tissues (u = 137.5, P=0.001). VEGF-C expression in breast cancer tissues had no correlation with MVD (P = 0. 951), but was correlated with MLD (r=0.286, P=0.027) and PCNA (r=0.315, P=0.014). VEGF-C (r=0.389, P=0.002) and MLD (r=0.335, P = 0.009) was correlated with lymph node metastasis, but not with other clinicopathological factors. Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that high VEGF-C or MLD group developed lymph node metastasis 4.059 (95% CI, 1.234 - 13.349; P = 0.021) or 3.519 (95% CI, 1.209 - 10.240, P = 0.021) times as high as low VEGF-C or MLD group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the influence of VEGF-C on lymph node metastasis was independent to MLD. Conclusions: VEGF-C expression increases in breast cancer tissues, and plays important roles in lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. Its influence on lymph node metastasis was independent to MLD. In addition, tumor cells high expressing VEGF-C have potent capacity of proliferation.