VEGF-D expression in lung adenocarcinoma with or without acquired resistance to gefitinib and normal lung

Abstract

18166 Background: VEGF-D is related with pathogenesis and metastasis of lung cancer, however, its relationship with resistance to gefitinib in NSCLC remains unknown. Methods: Lung adenocarcinoma, normal lung tissues adjacent to the carcinoma and adenocarcinoma with acquired resistance to gefitinib including some metastastic lymph nodes were obtained during operation. Relative quantitation of VEGF-D gene expression was performed by SYBR Green real-time PCR with beta actin gene as the endogenous control. VEGF-D expression of each group was analyzed by comparing them qualitatively and quantitatively. The expression ratios were compared by Fisher’s exact test and expression levels were compared by two-related-samples nonparametric test. Results: CVEGF-D expression ratio of lung adenocarcinoma with acquired resistance to gefitinib (16.7%, 1/6) was not different from lung adenocarcinoma (50%, 7/14, P=0.325) but was significantly lower than that of normal lung (93.8%, 15/16, P=0.001). The logarithmically transformed VEGF-D relative expression levels in six lung adenocarcinomas and the matched normal lung tissues, which were 2.214±0.376 and 3.388±0.209, were found to be significantly different from each other by the analysis of Wilcoxon signed ranks test (P=0.028). Conclusions: VEGF-D expression is in a high-level state in normal lung tissues while in low-level or absent in lung adenocarcinoma with or without acquired resistance to gefitinib, suggesting that the role VEGF-D plays in normal lung tissue could be different from in lung adenocarcinoma with or without acquired resistance to gefitinib. No significant financial relationships to disclose.