Abstract
Lymph node metastasis is the primary site of metastasis for patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC). Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) has been implicated in the control of lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in various malignant tumors. However, the function of circulating VEGF-C is unclear and it is often difficult to evaluate lymph node metastasis and provide a prognosis for GBC. In the present study, ELISA was used to measure the preoperative serum VEGF-C (sVEGF-C) levels of 51 patients with GBC, 15 patients with chronic cholecystitis and 10 healthy volunteers. The results revealed a significantly increased sVEGF-C level in patients with GBC compared with the healthy donors, however no statistically significant difference was identified between patients with GBC and chronic cholecystitis. sVEGF-C levels were associated with lymph node metastasis in GBC and presented a positive correlation with VEGF-C expression and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) in patients with GBC. The mean survival time with high sVEGF-C was significantly reduced compared with low sVEGF-C. A similar result was also observed for VEGF-C expression and LVD. In summary, sVEGF-C levels may predict lymph node metastasis and the prognosis of patients with GBC.
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