VEGF-C is associated with lymphatic status and invasion in oral cancer

BACKGROUND: Nodal metastasis is a major prognostic indicator for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression. Recently, it has been revealed that lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C and its receptor Flt-4 play an important role for invasion and metastasis in cancer cells. AIM: To examine VEGF-C expression and its correlation with lymphatic status, including the number of lymph vessels and lymphatic invasion, tumour invasion and metastasis in OSCC. METHODS: Intratumoural and peritumoural lymphatic vessels were examined using D2-40 in 54 OSCC cases and correlated with VEGF-C expression and clinicopathological findings. The histological pattern of invasion and pathological findings were compared. RESULTS: High expression of VEGF-C was frequently observed in OSCC and was associated with increased number of lymph vessels and lymphatic invasion. VEGF-C was well correlated with invasion pattern and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that VEGF-C may play an important role for lymphangiogenesis and invasion in the metastatic process and can be a strong predicting factor for metastasis of OSCC.