Pathobiological significance of vascular endothelial growth factor and Maspin expressions in human gastric carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the correlation between expressionof vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and celldifferentiation,invasion,metastasis and Naspin expressionin gastric carcinoma.METHODS:Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissuespecimens from 73 cases of gastric carcinoma were studiedwith SP immunohistochemistry,using anti-VEGF monoclonalantibody,and thirty-nine of them were studied using anti-Maspin monoclonal antibody.VEGF expression was comparedwith the dinical stage,lymph node metastasis,and Borrrnann'sand WHO's classification of gastric carcinoma.RESULTS:The positive rate of VEGF expression wassignificantly higher in adjacent non-carcinoma epithelia(ANCE) than in non-metaplastic,non-carcinoma gastricepithelia (NMNCE),which were at least 4 cm distant fromthe primary tumor (P=0.000,X~2=73.03).The positiverate of VEGF expression was significantly higher in advancedgastric carcinoma (AGC) than in early gastric carcinoma(EGC) (P=0.032,X~2=4.62).The positive rate of VEGFexpression in gastric carcinomas with lymph node metastaseswas significantly higher than that in those without metastasis(P=0.006,X~2=7.47).Maspin was weakly expressed in 16out of 39 cases of NINCE,and the positive immunoreactionwas limited to gland cells of the stomach body.There wasno significant correlation between the expression of VEGFand histological or gross classifications,and correlationbetween the expressions of VEGF and laspin in gastriccarcinoma (P=0.648,X~2=0.21).CONCLUSION:Expression of VEGF is significantly correlatedto the malignant biological behaviors of gastric carcinoma,but there is no significant correlation between the expressionof VEGF and Maspin.