Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, 107#, Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan 250012, China.
World J Surg. 2012 Jan;36(1):109-17. doi: 10.1007/s00268-011-1192-6.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 play important roles in tumor angiogenesis, development, and progression. This study investigates the expression of VEGF combined with MMP-9, their correlation with clinical characteristics, and their effect on the prognosis for patients with pN0 gastric cancer after curative surgery.
A total of 55 patients were enrolled in the study. They were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and their correlation with clinical characteristics was then investigated. Their relations and the survival time of patients were retrospectively analyzed.
VEGF and MMP-9 were positively expressed in 24 (43.6%) and 16 (29.1%) patients, respectively, and had a positive correlation (r = 0.324, p = 0.016) in the Spearman rank correlation analysis. Univariate analysis showed that VEGF, MMP-9 expression, vascular invasion, T stage, and tumor size were associated with tumor recurrence as well as the disease-specific (DSS) and overall (OS) survival rates. Patients with positive VEGF expression showed significantly higher recurrence and poorer DSS and OS rates compared with those with negative VEGF expression. Multivariate analysis showed that VEGF expression, vascular invasion, T stage (serosal invasion), and tumor size were significant independent prognostic factors for tumor recurrence, DSS, and OS in patients with pN0 gastric cancer with the exception that T stage was not for DSS.
VEGF expression, vascular invasion, T stage (serosal invasion), and tumor size can be used as valuable prognosticators in predicting tumor recurrence and prognosis for patients with pN0 gastric cancer after curative surgery. VEGF may have a synergistic effect with MMP-9 during tumor angiogenesis, development, and progression.
血管内皮生长因子 (VEGF) 和基质金属蛋白酶-9 (MMP-9) 在肿瘤血管生成、发展和进展中发挥重要作用。本研究探讨了 VEGF 与 MMP-9 的表达，及其与临床特征的相关性，并分析它们对根治性手术后 pN0 胃癌患者预后的影响。
共纳入 55 例患者，采用免疫组织化学法检测 VEGF 和 MMP-9 的表达情况，分析其与临床特征的关系，并对患者的生存时间进行回顾性分析。
24 例（43.6%）和 16 例（29.1%）患者的 VEGF 和 MMP-9 呈阳性表达，Spearman 等级相关分析显示两者呈正相关（r=0.324，p=0.016）。单因素分析显示，VEGF、MMP-9 表达、血管侵犯、T 分期和肿瘤大小与肿瘤复发以及疾病特异性生存（DSS）和总生存（OS）率有关。VEGF 阳性表达患者的肿瘤复发率以及 DSS 和 OS 率均明显低于 VEGF 阴性表达患者。多因素分析显示，VEGF 表达、血管侵犯、T 分期（浆膜侵犯）和肿瘤大小是影响 pN0 胃癌患者根治性手术后肿瘤复发、DSS 和 OS 的独立预后因素，但 T 分期不是 DSS 的独立预后因素。
VEGF 表达、血管侵犯、T 分期（浆膜侵犯）和肿瘤大小可作为预测 pN0 胃癌患者根治性手术后肿瘤复发和预后的有价值的指标。VEGF 与 MMP-9 可能在肿瘤血管生成、发展和进展中具有协同作用。
