Background. This study aimed at determining the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), and contactin-1 (CNTN-1) expression in gastric cancer (GC).Methods. The expression level of CNTN-1 mRNA and CNTN-1 protein of 33 cases was determined using RT-PCR and Western Blot. And 105 cases were immunohistochemically examined for VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, and CNTN-1 expressions. Assessment of lymphatic vessel density (LVD) was also performed by D2-40 immunostaining. Then we analyzed the relationships between VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, and CNTN-1, as well as their correlations with clinicopathologic features, LVD, and survival time.Results. The positivity rate of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, and CNTN-1 in primary tumor was 56.19%, 64.76%, and 58.09%. The expression of CNTN-1 significantly correlated with VEGF-C (P<0.001) and VEGFR-3 (P<0.001). All of them were closely related to TNM stage, lymphatic invasion, and lymph node involvement (P<0.05). LVD was significantly correlated with VEGF-C (P=0.001), VEGFR-3 (P=0.011), and CNTN-1 expression (P<0.001). VEGF-C, VEGFR-3, and CNTN-1 expression significantly associated with poorer prognosis (P<0.001,P=0.034,P=0.012, resp.).Conclusion. CNTN-1 associated with VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expression in GC. All of them correlated with lymphatic metastasis, which might play an important role in the lymphatic invasion via lymphangiogenesis pathway in GC.
Combination Therapy with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Neutralizing Antibody and Mitomycin C on Human Gastric Cancer Xenograft