Vascular endothelial growth factor - C (VEGF-C) and podoplanin has been identified as lymphangiogenesis regulators and might be essential to restrict tumor growth, progression, and metastasis.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,81,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 The aim of the study was to evaluate the molecular and clinicopathological profiles of VEGF-C and podoplanin expression in neoplastic cells of intraepithelial uterine cervical lesion.
A total of 234 paraffin-embedded normal and abnormal cervical tissue (CIN) samples were studied. Immunohistochemical expression of VEGF-C and podoplanin in histologic sections of tissue microarray were performed, which were used the monoclonal antibodies anti-VEGF C1 and anti-Podoplanin clone D2-40. Co-expression among the antibodies was assessed and the profiles of immunodetection were associated with clinicopathological data.
The positive staining rates of VEGF-C in 191 cervical neoplasia specimens were 18.9% to CIN 1, 25% to CIN 2 and 48.7% to CIN 3, and in 43 normal tissues (4.7%). These expressions were significantly associated with clinicopathologic parameters (p<0.001). Comparing the groups and intensity of immunostaining of podoplanin observe statistical significance, the negative focal expression was more present in the CIN 3 compared to CIN 1, CIN 2 and control (p = 0.016). The correlation of the immunoreactivity of the two factors, podoplanin was also common in many types of VEGF-C in the control group, CIN 1 and CIN 2. Moreover, patients with CIN 3 had strong staining for VEGF-C and low staining for podoplanin (p=0.018).
The findings indicated that VEGF-C expression seems be different in degrees of CIN. Podoplanin expression was lower in CIN 3. VEGF-C high expression may be a tendency in patients with high-grade lesions when compared with podoplanin. The results herein presented provide additional evidence of the simultaneous examination of VEGF-C and podoplanin immunoexpressions that it will benefit the diagnosis, prevention of cancer cells growth and spread and determine the treatment strategy in patients with CIN.
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