VEGF-C及其受体在皮肤恶性黑素瘤中的表达及其临床意义

目的：研究皮肤恶性黑素瘤（MM）组织中血管内皮生长因子C（vascular endothelial growth factor-C,VEGF-C）及其受体VEGFR-3（flt-4）的表达情况,分析其在肿瘤淋巴管的生长及淋巴转移中的作用。方法：采用免疫组化SP法分析29例MM石蜡标本中VEGF-C/flt-4蛋白的表达情况,并与20例色素痣石蜡标本中VEGF-C/flt-4蛋白表达情况相对比,统计分析其与临床病理特点之间的关系。结果：VEGF-C蛋白的阳性率为96.6%（28/29）,flt-4的阳性率为86.2%（25/29）,明显高于色素痣（P〈0.01）,与肿瘤的病理分级、临床分期和肿瘤的淋巴转移显著相关（P〈0.05）;VEGF-C和flt-4的阳性表达相一致。结论：VEGF-C/flt-4在皮肤恶性黑素瘤中的表达明显高于色素痣,与肿瘤的预后密切相关,在肿瘤淋巴转移中可能有重要作用。

Clinicopathological expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and its receptor in malignant melanoma

Objective: To determine the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C and its receptor in malignant melanoma (MM) and to elucidate their role in lymphonode metastasis and clinical significance. Methods: Tissue sections from 29 MM patients were examined. The expression of VEGF-C and its receptor were detected using SP immunohistochemistry technique and the relationship between the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 expression and clinical pathological characteristics was analyzed. Results: VEGF-C and its receptor were determined in 29 cases, which was higher than that in 20 cases of nevus pigmentosus tissue (P<0.01). Out of 29 cases, VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 protein expressions were detected in 28 (96.6%) and 25 (86.2%) respectively. There was statistical relationship between VEGF-C and VEGFR-3. The expression of VEGF-C was correlated with the pathological grade of tumor, clinical stage of the tumor and lymphonode metastasis (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 may play an important role in the lymphonode metastasis and it can be a useful biological marker to foresee lymphonode metastasis and prognosis.