BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is useful to decide whether lymphatic involvement or lymph node metastasis exists before polypectomy or operation in submucosal colorectal cancer. Whether vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) or VEGF-D could predict lymph node metastasis and lymphatic involvement is uncertain. METHODOLOGY: Expression of the VEGF-C and VEGF-D in human submucosal colorectal cancers was investigated in paraffin-embedded stepwise sections by means of immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between immunohistochemical expression pattern and clinicopathological features was also evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed that VEGF-C overexpression correlated with lymphatic involvement (P = 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02), but VEGF-D overexpression did not correlate significantly. In multivariate analysis lymphatic invasion was the predictive factor (P = 0.0129), but VEGF-C positivity was not predictive (P = 0.3437). CONCLUSIONS: These results may suggest that VEGF-C is a more specific risk factor for lymph node metastasis than VEGF-D in submucosal colorectal cancer.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is useful to decide whether lymphatic involvement or lymph node metastasis exists before polypectomy or operation in submucosal colorectal cancer. Whether vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) or VEGF-D could predict lymph node metastasis and lymphatic involvement is uncertain. METHODOLOGY: Expression of the VEGF-C and VEGF-D in humansubmucosal colorectal cancers was investigated in paraffin-embedded stepwise sections by means of immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between immunohistochemical expression pattern and clinicopathological features was also evaluated. RESULTS: The results showed that VEGF-C overexpression correlated with lymphatic involvement (P = 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.02), but VEGF-D overexpression did not correlate significantly. In multivariate analysis lymphatic invasion was the predictive factor (P = 0.0129), but VEGF-C positivity was not predictive (P = 0.3437). CONCLUSIONS: These results may suggest that VEGF-C is a more specific risk factor for lymph node metastasis than VEGF-D in submucosal colorectal cancer.