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. 2009 Feb;100(2):310-5.
doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2008.01020.x.

Impact of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, 2, and 3 expression on the outcome of patients with gastric cancer

Yoshinori Hirashima  1 , Yasuhide Yamada, Junichi Matsubara, Daisuke Takahari, Natsuko Okita, Atsuo Takashima, Ken Kato, Tetsuya Hamaguchi, Kuniaki Shirao, Yasuhiro Shimada, Hirokazu Taniguchi, Tadakazu Shimoda
Affiliations

Impact of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, 2, and 3 expression on the outcome of patients with gastric cancer

Yoshinori Hirashima et al. Cancer Sci. 2009 Feb.

Abstract

Tumor angiogenesis is a multistep interactive process in which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors have a major role. However, the clinical significance of these molecules in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. Our study group comprised 86 patients who underwent gastrectomy and subsequently received chemotherapy for recurrent or residual tumor. Using immunohistochemical techniques, we analyzed the expression of VEGF receptors (VEGF-R) 1, 2, and 3. VEGF-R1 expression (defined as >5% staining) was found in the tumor cells of 65 tumors (76%) and in the stromal vessels of 36 tumors (42%). VEGF-R2 expression was found in tumor cells and stromal vessels of 0 and 46 tumors (0 and 53%), respectively, and VEGF-R3 expression was found in tumor cells and stromal vessels of 0 and 75 tumors (0 and 87%), respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that VEGF-R expression correlated with shorter survival (VEGF-R1 in stromal vessels, P = 0.001; VEGF-R2 in stromal vessels, P = 0.009; VEGF-R3 in stromal vessels, P = 0.005) and lower response to S-1 (VEGF-R1 in stromal vessels, P = 0.039). Multivariate analysis of potential prognostic factors showed that VEGF-R1 and VEGF-R2 in stromal vessels were independent predictors of poor outcome. Our data suggest that VEGF-R expression can be a predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome in GC. VEGF-R are promising candidates as therapeutic targets.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Typical examples of (a) CD34 staining, (b) D2‐40 staining, (c) CD31 staining, (d) factor VIII staining, and (e) negative controls. (a) Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF‐R) 1 is mainly expressed in tumor cells, secondarily on stromal vessels. (b–d) VEGF‐R2 and VEGF‐R3 are mainly expressed on stromal vessels. Original magnification, ×200.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Impact of (a) vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF‐R) 1, (b) VEGF‐R2, and (c) VEGF‐R3 expression in stromal vessels on patient survival.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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