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[Significance of vascular endothelial growth factor expression in colorectal cancer]
1PLA Institute for Digestive Disease, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Objective:
To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its relation with the clinicopathologic features and explore new approaches to prevent and inhibit recurrence and metastasis of CRC.
Methods:
Surgical samples of 68 patients with CRC were studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The relative level of VEGF mRNA expression was measured by determining a ratio of PCR products of VEGF to that of beta-actin gene.
Results:
(1) Expression of VEGF mRNA in tumor tissue was found in 67.6% (46/68) of the sample, whereas it was seen in 32.4% (22/68) of the surrounding nontumorous colorectal tissue. (2) The level of VEGF mRNA expression in tumors with serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis or Dukes' D stage was higher than that without serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis or Dukes' A and B and C stage (P < 0.01). (3) There was no significant difference in the expression of VEGF mRNA between large CRC (diameter > 5 cm) and small CRC (diameter < or = 5 cm) (P > 0.05) or histologic types (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
VEGF may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of CRC. It is thus show that angiogenesis in tumor correlates with the progression of CRC.