VEGF和CD44v6过表达与乳腺癌浸润转移的关系

目的检测血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)和转移相关黏附分子44v6(CD44v6)在乳腺癌中的表达情况,探讨两者与淋巴结转移的关系。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测92例乳腺浸润性癌中VEGF、CD44v6的表达情况。结果 VEGF在正常乳腺组织和乳腺癌中的阳性表达率分别为6.7%(3/45)和90.2%(83/92),且VEGF在淋巴结转移组中的阳性表达率(53/55)明显高于无淋巴结转移组(P<0.05)。CD44v6在正常乳腺组织及乳腺癌中的阳性表达率分别为8.9%(4/45)和85.9%(79/92),而且CD44v6在淋巴结转移组中的阳性表达率(51/55)明显高于无淋巴结转移组(P<0.05)。VEGF和CD44v6表达呈正相关关系(r=0.497,P<0.05)。结论 VEGF、CD44v6在乳腺癌组织中高表达,且均与淋巴结转移有关(P<0.05),两者可能在乳腺癌的远处转移中起协同作用。     

CD44v6在胰腺癌组织中的表达及其临床意义

目的：探讨CD44v6蛋白表达与胰腺癌增殖及淋巴结转移的关系。方法：应用免疫组织化学（S－P）法检测38例胰腺癌组织标本中CD44v6和PCNA的表达。结果：CD44v6在胰腺癌中的阳性率为65％（25／38），与淋巴结转移呈非常显相关（P＜0．01），与胰分化程度无关（P＞0．05）。CD44v6阳性染色胰腺组织中PCNA标记率较阴性高（P＜0．05）。结论：CD44v6在胰腺癌的增殖，转移过程中可能起重要作用，可作为胰腺癌预后预测的生物学指标之一。     

Expression and significance of CD44s, CD44v6, and nm23 mRNA in human cancer

AIM: To investigate the relationship between the expression levels of nm23 mRNA, CD44s, and CD44v6,and oncogenesis, development and metastasis of human gastric adenocarcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma,intraductal carcinoma of breast, and lung cancer.METHODS: Using tissue microarray by immuhistochemical (IHC) staining and in situ hybri-dization (ISH), we examined the expression levels of nm23mRNA, CD44s, and CD44v6 in 62 specimens of human gastric adenocarcinoma and 62 specimens of colorectal adenocarcinoma; the expression of CD44s and CD44v6in 120 specimens of intraductal carcinoma of breast and 20 specimens of normal breast tissue; the expression of nm23 mRNA in 72 specimens of human lung cancer and 23 specimens of normal tissue adjacent to cancer.RESULTS: The expression of nm23 mRNA in the tissues of gastric and colorectal adenocarcinoma was not significantly different from that in the normal tissues adjacent to cancer (P＞0.05), and was not associated with the invasion of tumor and the pathology grade of adenocarcinoma (P＞0.05). However, the expression of nm23 mRNA was correlated negatively to the lymph node metastasis of gastric and colorectal adenocarcinoma (r = -0.49, P＜0.01; r = -4.93, P＜0.01). The expression of CD44s in the tissues of gastric and colorectal adenocarcinoma was significantly different from that in the normal tissues adjacent to cancer (P＜0.05;P＜0.01). CD44v6 was expressed in the tissues of gastric and colorectal adenocarcinoma only, the expression of CD44v6 was significantly associated with the lymph node metastasis, invasion and pathological grade of the tumor (r = 0.47, P＜0.01; r = 5.04, P＜0.01). CD44sand CD44v6 were expressed in intraductal carcinoma of breast, the expression of CD44s and CD44v6 was significantly associated with lymph node metastases and invasion (P＜0.01). However, neither of them was expressed in the normal breast tissue. In addition, the expression of CD44v6 was closely related to the degree of cell differentiation of intraductal carcinoma of breast (x2= 5.68, P＜0.05). The expressional level of nm23mRNA was closely related to the degree of cell differentiation (P＜0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P＜0.01), but the expression of nm23 gene was not related to sex, age, and type of histological classification (P＞0.05).CONCLUSION: Patients with overexpression of CD44s and CD44v6 and low expression of nm23 mRNA have a higher lymph node metastatic rate and invasion. In addition, overexpression of CD44v6 is closely related to the degree of cell differentiation. Detection of the three genes is able to provide a reliable index to evaluate the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells.     

Significance of immunohistochemical over-expression of CD44v6 as an indicator of malignant potential in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose The aim of the current study was to find out a clinicopathologic significance of CD44v6 over-expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which has not been elucidated fully.Methods Immunohistochemical expression of CD44v6 was examined for 81 ESCCs. Correlation of CD44 over-expression with the clinicopathologic features were investigated.Results Thirty-eight ESCCs (46.9%) had over-expression of CD44v6. The proportions of the incidence of lymph node metastasis (P=0.039), lymphatic permeation (P=0.003), and blood vessel invasion (P=0.037) in ESCCs with over-expression of CD44v6 were significantly higher than those in ESCCs without over-expression of CD44v6. The stage of the tumor in ESCCs with over-expression of CD44v6 was significantly more advanced (P=0.045). Survival rates of patients with ESCC with over-expression of CD44v6 were significantly worse (P=0.0005). Moreover, CD44v6 over-expression (P=0.048) as well as blood vessel invasion (P=0.014) and stage of the tumor (P=0.010) were factors independently associated with the unfavorable prognosis of the patients with ESCC.Conclusions Over-expression of CD44v6 can be an indicator of the malignant potential of ESCC.     

Serum levels of soluble CD44 variant isoforms are elevated in rheumatoid arthritis

Serum levels of soluble CD44 variant proteins including sequences encoded by exon v5 and exon v6 (sCD44v5, sCD44v6) were determined in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: 56 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA⁺) and 31 with miscellaneous inflammatory rheumatic diseases (MIRD). There were very significantly higher serum levels of sCD44v5 and sCD44v6 in patients with RA' than in those with MIRD (RA⁺ to MIRD: sCD44v5: 81 ± 54 ng/ml to 33 ± 13 ng/ml; sCD44v6: 237 ± 124 ng/ml to 166 ± 53 ng/ml; bothP0.001). In RA⁺ elevated serum levels of sCD44v5 were correlated with the inflammatory activity of disease. In 17 patients with RA⁺ three or four follow-up measurements of sCD44v5 were performed within 6 months. The development of sCD44v5 serum levels reflected the clinical course of disease in the patients investigated.     

MicroRNA expression profile in non‐cancerous colonic tissue associated with lymph node metastasis of colon cancer

OBJECTIVE: To identify microRNA expression patterns associated with the lymph node metastasis of colon cancer. METHODS: MicroRNA were isolated from six frozen non‐cancerous surrounding colonic tissues derived from stage II–III colon cancer patients with (n = 3) and without (n = 3) lymph node metastasis. We compared the microRNA expression profiles of the six non‐cancerous colonic tissues from two colon cancer patient groups; those with confirmed lymph node metastasis, termed the lymph node positive group, and those without detectable lymph node metastasis, termed the lymph node negative group. MicroRNA expression was analyzed with Agilent microarrays containing 723 human microRNA probes. We validated the expression level of differentially expressed microRNA using quantitative real‐time PCR analysis. RESULTS: Two microRNA (hsa‐miR‐129*, hsa‐miR‐137) were differentially expressed in the lymph node positive group compared with the lymph node negative group. The expression level of hsa‐miR‐137 was quantified via quantitative real‐time PCR analysis for validation. Hsa‐miR‐137 expression was significantly upregulated nearly 6.6‐fold in lymph node positive specimens (P = 0.036). The quantitative real‐time PCR result correlates with the microarray finding. CONCLUSION: The non‐cancerous colonic tissues from colon cancer patients with lymph node metastasis have a significantly different microRNA expression profile compared to that from colon cancer patients without lymph node metastasis. The differentially expressed microRNA could have relevance to the lymph node metastasis of colon cancer and may provide a simple profiling method to assist in identifying patients with lymph node metastasis. Besides, these data might offer new ideas for preventing and controlling lymphatic metastasis in colon cancer.     

Clinical significance of serum levels of CD44 variant exons 8–10 protein in colorectal cancer

We examined serum levels of a CD44 splice variant that contained variant exons 8–10 (CD44v8–10) as a tumor marker in colorectal cancer patients. We performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in 81 sera obtained from 71 colorectal cancer patients and 10 healthy controls. Serum CD44v8–10 levels were significantly higher in the colorectal cancer patients than in the healthy controls (0.209 ± 0.098 versus 0.114 ± 0.019 OD; P < 0.01). There was a close correlation between immunohistochemical expression and serum CD44v8–10 levels. Surgical resection of the tumors resulted in a reduction of serum CD44v8–10 levels. There was no significant correlation between serum CD44v8–10 level and serosal invasion or histologic type. However, a significant correlation was observed between serum CD44v8–10 level and lymphatic or venous invasion. In addition, serum CD44v8–10 levels were significantly higher in carcinomas associated with lymph node or liver metastasis than in those without metastasis. These findings suggest the usefulness of serum CD44v8–10 level in the prediction of colorectal cancer metastasis. (Received July 25, 1997; accepted Nov. 28, 1997)     

Expression of human chorionic gonadotropin, CD44v6 and CD44v4/5 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

AIM: To study the relationship between the expression of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), CD44v6, CD44v4/5 and the infiltration, metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: By labeled streptavidin-biotin technique, the expressions of HCG, CD44v6, and CD44v4/5 in 42 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were examined. RESULTS: The positive rate of HCG expression in patients with lymph node metastasis was 85.71% (18/21), higher than that (57.14%, 12/21) in those without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The positive rate of CD44v6 expression was 71.43% (15/21) in lymph node metastasis group, and 38.09% (8/21) in non-metastasis group; there was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). The positive rate of CD44v4/5 expression was 76.19% (16/21) in lymph node metastasis group, and 42.86% (9/21) in non-metastasis group; there was also a significant difference between them (P<0.05). From grade Ⅰ to grade Ⅲ in differentiation, the positive rate of HCG expression was 84.62% (11/13), 70.59% (12/17) and 58.33% (7/12), respectively; there was no significant difference among them (P<0.05). The positive rate of CD44v6 expression in grades Ⅰ-Ⅲ of cancer tissues was 76.92% (10/13), 52.94% (9/17), and 33.33% (4/12) respectively; there was no significant difference among them. The positive rate of CD44v4/5 expression in grades Ⅰ-Ⅲ of cancer tissues was 69.23% (9/13), 64.71% (11/17), and 41.67% (5/12) respectively; there was no significant difference among the three groups. There was no correlation between the positive rates of HCG and CD44v6, CD44v4/5 expression. Cancer cells in carcinomatous emboli and those infiltrating into vascular wall strongly expressed HCG, CD44v6, and CD44v4/5. CONCLUSION: Expression of HCG, CD44v6, and CD44v4/5 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is related to its infiltration and metastasis. HCG, CD44v6, and CD44v4/5 have different effects on the infiltration and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.     

应用组织芯片研究凋亡抑制基因Survivin在胃癌中的表达

目的　检测Survivin和CD44v6在胃癌中的表达,以探讨二者在胃癌中表达的相关性及其与预后的关系。方法　利用组织芯片技术构建胃癌组织芯片,应用免疫组织化学S P法检测Survivin和CD44v6蛋白在胃癌中的表达。结果　胃癌中Survivin及CD44v6的总表达率分别为 58 6% (58 /99)和 35 4% (35 /99)。Survivin在早期胃癌中的表达显著高于进展期胃癌 (P<0 05 ),与胃癌的其它临床病理特征无相关性。CD44v6阳性表达与胃癌生长方式(P<0 001)、浸润深度 (P<0 05 )及淋巴结转移 (P<0 001 )密切相关。Sur vivin和CD44v6在胃癌中的表达无相关性(r=-0 065,P>0 05)。Survivin与胃癌患者的生存率无显著相关,而CD44v6表达阳性组 5年生存率(16 13% )显著低于CD44v6表达阴性组 5年生存率(60 67% ) (P<0 001 )。结论　Survivin和CD44v6在胃癌中均有过量表达。Survivin可能参与胃癌发生、发展的早期过程;而CD44v6阳性表达与胃癌的浸润和转移密切相关,同时可以提示胃癌的不良预后。     

Clinical significance of pAKT and CD44v6 overexpression with breast cancer

Purpose  

CD44v6 contributes to apoptosis resistance and metastasis via upregulated activity of the PI3K/AKT pathway. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression patterns and predictive value of phosphorylated AKT (pAKT) and CD44v6 in breast cancer tissues.     

E-cad、CD_(44)v6基因表达与非小细胞肺癌淋巴转移的关系

目的探讨细胞粘附分子E-cad和CD44v6与非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)淋巴结转移的关系。方法应用免疫组织化学SABC法检测65例原发性NSCLC组织中E-cad和CD44v6基因蛋白的表达水平。结果E-cad在有无淋巴结转移组的正常表达率分别为21.1%和48.1%,两组比较差异有显著性(P0.05)。CD44v6在有无淋巴结转移组的阳性表达率分别为78.9%和55.6%,两组比较差异有显著性(P0.05)。结论E-cad异常表达和CD44v6阳性表达可能均在NSCLC的淋巴结转移中起重要的促进作用,且它们的作用具有协同性,它们的检测有助于判断NSCLC的淋巴结转移。     

Diagnostic Performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT for Lymph Node Staging in Patients with Operable Non-small-cell Lung Cancer and Inflammatory Lung Disease

As ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is taken up by inflammatory lymph nodes, it could be falsely interpreted as metastasis. Therefore, we evaluated the diagnostic ability of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for lymph node staging of lung cancer when inflammatory lung disease coexisted. Patients with operable non-small-cell lung cancer and FDG-avid lymph nodes were retrospectively classified into two groups; those with inflammatory lung disease (ILD) and those without it (NILD). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), pattern of FDG uptake, maximum Hounsfield unit, and size, and then the areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were compared between subgroups. There were 124 patients (ILD/NILD = 38/86) and 396 FDG-avid lymph nodes (ILD/NILD = 140/256). The average number of FDG-avid lymph nodes was greater in ILD (3.7 vs. 2.9, p = 0.039), whereas the proportion of metastasis was higher in NILD (25.4% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.002). With all N1–N3 lymph nodes and the NILD group, the AUC values of all four parameters were significantly greater than 0.5 (p < 0.05), and SUVmax was the most valuable parameter for lymph node metastasis. However, in the ILD group, only the AUC value of SUVmax was significantly greater than 0.5. These results were reproduced when analyses were performed with N1–N2 lymph nodes. In conclusion, SUVmax was the most valuable PET/CT parameter for assessment of lymph node metastasis in patients with operable non-small-cell lung cancer. In addition, it was the only valuable parameter when inflammatory lung disease coexisted.     

Meta-Analysis of Prognostic and Clinical Significance of CD44v6 in Esophageal Cancer

CD44v6 is a cell adhesion molecule that plays an important role in the development and progression of esophageal cancer. However, the prognostic value and clinical significance of CD44v6 in esophageal cancer remains controversial. In the present study, we aimed to clarify these relationships through a meta-analysis.We performed a comprehensive search of studies from PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid library database, Google scholar, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases that were published before June 2015. The odds ratio (OR) and pooled hazard ratio (HR) with the 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the effects.Twenty-one studies including 1504 patients with esophageal cancer were selected to assess the prognostic value and clinical significance of CD44v6 in these patients. The results showed that the expression of CD44v6 was higher in esophageal cancer tissue than in normal colorectal tissue (OR = 9.19, 95% CI = 6.30–13.42). Moreover, expression of CD44v6 was higher in patients with lymphoid nodal metastasis, compared to those without (OR = 6.91, 95% CI = 4.81–9.93). The pooled results showed that CD44v6 was associated with survival in patients with esophageal cancer (HR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.56–3.92). No significant difference in CD44v6 expression was found in patients with different histological types and tumor stages (both P > 0.05). Moreover, no publication bias was found among the studies (all P > 0.05).This meta-analysis demonstrates that CD44v6 is associated with the metastasis of esophageal cancer and a poor prognosis, but is not associated with the histological types and tumor stages.     

Poor diagnostic value of colonic CD44v6 expression and serum concentrations of its soluble form in the differentiation of ulcerative colitis from Crohn's disease

Background—Increased expression ofCD44v6 on colonic crypt epithelial cells in ulcerative colitis has beensuggested as a diagnostic tool to distinguish ulcerative colitis fromcolonic Crohn's disease.
Aims—To investigate colonicCD44v6 expression and serum concentrations of soluble CD44v6 (sCD44v6)in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
Methods—Colonic biopsy samples wereobtained from 16 patients with ulcerative colitis, 13 with ileocolonicCrohn's disease, and 10 undergoing polypectomy. Serum samples wereobtained from 15 patients with active ulcerative colitis, 20 withactive Crohn's disease, and 20 healthy donors. Colonic CD44v6expression was evaluated immunohistochemically by monoclonal antibody2F10 and the higher affinity monoclonal antibody VFF18. Serum sCD44v6concentrations were measured by ELISA.
Results—2F10 stained colonicepithelium of inflamed ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease samplesin 80% and 40% of cases, respectively, and VFF18 in 95% and 87%,respectively. Both monoclonal antibodies displayed a sensitivity andspecificity of 60% and 87% to differentiate ulcerative colitis fromcolonic Crohn's disease. Serum concentrations of sCD44v6 were lower inpatients with ulcerative colitis (median 153 ng/ml; interquartile range(IQR) 122-211) compared with Crohn's disease (219; IQR 180-243) andhealthy donors (221; IQR 197-241 (p=0.002)). Its sensitivity andspecificity to discriminate ulcerative colitis from Crohn's diseasewas 75% and 71%, respectively.
Conclusion—Colonic CD44v6 and serumsCD44v6 concentrations do not facilitate reliable differentialdiagnosis between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Keywords:CD44 variant 6; differential diagnosis; immunohistochemistry; soluble CD44v6

     

Expression of CD44 variants and prognosis in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: The CD44 variant (CD44v) isoforms have been noted as markers for tumour metastasis and prognosis in several adenocarcinomas. AIMS: To investigate whether CD44v, especially the CD44v2 (v2) isoform, may be a useful prognostic factor for patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, using a recently developed monoclonal antibody against a v2 epitope. PATIENTS: 233 patients (211 men and 22 women; mean age 61.9 years), with oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas curatively removed without additional treatment between 1987 and 1996 at the National Cancer Center Hospital, were analysed for CD44v expression. METHODS: The expression of CD44v was evaluated immunohistochemically using monoclonal antibodies against epitopes of the standard and variant protein, in paraffin embedded oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissue from 233 patients who had undergone cervical, mediastinal, and abdominal lymphadenectomy (three field dissection) for oesophagectomy. The data were evaluated for any correlation with clinicopathological indices or prognosis. RESULTS: Although total CD44 and CD44v6 (v6) were respectively observed in 99% and 97% of the cancer specimens, the expression of v2 was only 30%. Patients whose tumours were v2 positive had a significantly better prognosis than those whose tumours were v2 negative (p = 0.031). Furthermore, in patients without lymph node metastasis, v2 positivity alone was a significant independent factor of prognosis (relative risk of death associated with v2 negativity, 4.7; p = 0.037) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that v2 is a useful marker for clinical prognosis in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Particularly in patients without lymph node metastasis, v2 status may thus have implications for the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in patients with oesophageal cancer at an early stage.     

Mortality association of enhanced CD44v6 expression is not mediated through occult lymphatic spread in stage II colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the absence of other metastatic disease, the presence of lymph node metastasis remains the most important determinant of survival in colorectal cancer (CRC). Cluster designation 44 variant 6 (CD44v6) over-expression is associated with worse outcome in all stages of CRC. The CD44v6 is believed to confer metastatic potential through its facilitation of migration, extravasation and proliferation, although the specific means by which it conveys an adverse prognosis in CRC is unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine if CD44v6 over-expression in Stage II CRC subjects was associated with the presence of lymph node micrometastases. METHODS: We assessed tumour CD44v6 expression in 43 randomly sampled subjects who had resections for Stage II CRC between 1984 and 1991 by using immunohistochemistry. Micrometastases were sought in corresponding lymph node (LN) sections using keratin immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There was a statistical trend between tumour CD44v6 over-expression and mortality (P = 0.09) and a significant relationship between LN cytokeratins and mortality (P = 0.01). There was no association between the detection of LN cytokeratins and tumour CD44v6 over-expression. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the adverse survival effect of CD44v6 over-expression is not mediated though lymphatic spread and postulate that it may therefore facilitate haematogenous metastasis.     

CD44在肺癌中表达的临床研究

目的观察标准型白细胞分化抗原（ＣＤ４４ｓ）及变异型白细胞分化抗原（ＣＤ４４ｖ６）在肺癌中的表达情况及同肺癌淋巴结转移的关系。方法以ＳＰ法对９６例原发性肺癌及１２例转移淋巴结行免疫组化研究。结果在小细胞肺癌（ＳＣＬＣ）中，未见ＣＤ４４表达；而在非小细胞肺癌（ＮＳＣＬＣ）中，鳞癌（ＳＣＣ）的ＣＤ４４表达明显高于腺癌（ＡＤＣ）（Ｐ＜０．０１）；在１２例转移淋巴结中，１０例（８３％）表达ＣＤ４４ｖ６阳性；同未发生淋巴结转移的原发性肺癌（５１％）相比，发生转移的原发性肺癌中ＣＤ４４ｖ６表达明显增多（９１％，χ２＝１４．９２，Ｐ＜０．０１）；ＣＤ４４ｓ及ＣＤ４４ｖ６表达同肺癌分化程度无关；按ＴＮＭ分期，Ⅲ＋Ⅳ期中ＣＤ４４ｖ６表达显著高于Ⅰ＋Ⅱ期肺癌（χ２＝６．０５，Ｐ＜０．０５）。结论ＣＤ４４大部分表达于ＮＳＣＬＣ中，且主要在ＳＣＣ中；ＣＤ４４ｖ６阳性可能预示ＮＳＣＬＣ发生淋巴结转移的倾向，并可能对肺癌临床分期起到一定作用     

Role of VEGF and CD44v6 in differentiating benign from malignant ascites

AIM: To detect the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and soluble splice variant 6 of CD44 (sCD44v6) levels in ascites and to explore their role in differentiating benign from malignant ascites. METHODS: Cirrhotic ascites (n=36), tuberculosis ascites (n=8) and malignant ascites (n=23) were collected and studied. Concentrations of soluble VEGF and sCD44v6 in various kinds of ascites (n=67) were measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. RESULTS: VEGF and sCD44v6 levels in malignant ascites were 640.74+/-264.81 pg/ml and 89.22+/-38.20 ng/ml, respectively, both of which were significantly higher than those in cirrhotic ascites and tuberculous ascites (q=18.98, 11.89 and q=8.92, 5.09; P<0.01). However, the levels of VEGF and sCD44v6 in cirrhotic and tuberculous ascites had no significant difference (q=0.48, 0.75; P>0.05). Furthermore, VEGF levels in malignant ascites in patients with ovarian cancer were higher than those with gastric and colon cancer (q=5.03, 6.79; P<0.01, respectively). But differences of VEGF levels between gastric and colon cancer were not significant (q=1.90, P>0.05). Whereas, sCD44v6 levels in malignant ascites from patients with ovarian, gastric and colon cancer had no significant difference (q=0.06, 0.91, 0.35; P>0.05, respectively). In comparison with cirrhotic and tuberculous ascites, when the upper limit of its VEGF mean levels 119.44 pg/ml (70.90+/-48.54) and sCD44v6 mean levels 63.59 ng/ml (44.42+/-19.17) was taken as the minimum cutoff limit, the sensitivity and specificity of VEGF and sCD44v6 of this assay to the diagnosis of malignant ascites were 91.3%, 90.9% and 73.9%, 88.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of VEGF and sCD44v6 may be useful in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites.