Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor in non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance

Abstract

Objective:To observe the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),and to discuss its clinical significance.Methods:The expression of EGFR and VEGF was detected in 82 NSCLC and 20 non-malignant pulmonary samples by immunohistochemical method.The expression of EGFR and VEGF in NSCLC patients with various pathological characteristics was observed and the correlation between them was analyzed.Results:The positive rates of EGFR and VEGF in 82 NSCLC samples were obviously higher than those in the 20 non-malignant samples(53.66% vs 0 for EGFR,62.20% vs 25% for VEGF,both P0.05).The expression of EGFR in NSCLC samples was significantly correlated with the sex of patients,pathological types of cancer(squamous-cell carcinoma vs adenocarcinoma),presence of lymph node metastasis,and TNM stages(P0.05).The expression of VEGF in NSCLC was correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stages(P0.05).It was also noticed that higher expression of EGFR or VEGF was associated with poor prognosis of patients(P0.05).The expression of EGFR was correlated with VEGF expression in pulmonary tissues of NSCLC patients(rs=0.314,P0.05).Conclusion:EGFR and VEGF are over-expressed in NSCLC tissues and the 2 are correlated with each other,which may serve as predicator for prognosis and a therapeutic target of NSCLC patients.