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. 2012 Sep;5(3):150-5.
doi: 10.3342/ceo.2012.5.3.150. Epub 2012 Aug 27.

Relationships between Lymph Node Metastasis and Expression of CD31, D2-40, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors A and C in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Sang-Hyuk Lee  1 , Sung-Jin Lee, Sung-Min Jin, No-Hee Lee, Dong-Hoon Kim, Seung-Wan Chae, Jin-Hee Sohn, Won-Serk Kim
Affiliations

Relationships between Lymph Node Metastasis and Expression of CD31, D2-40, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors A and C in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Sang-Hyuk Lee et al. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the relationships between lymph node metastasis (LNM) and expression of CD31, D2-40 and vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF)-A and -C in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Methods: Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissues of 72 patients were evaluated, which included 25 patients with thyroid nodular hyperplasia (TNH), 24 PTC patients without LNM, and 23 PTC patients with LNM. Three pathologists, who were blinded to the patient's clinical information, assessed the immunohistochemical staining results. The amount of expression was scored as high (>25% of cells stained) or low (0-25%).

Results: A higher level of VEGF-A expression was observed in the PTC groups regardless of LNM when compared to the group with TNH (91.3%, 79.2%, 4.0%, respectively). VEGF-C expression in the PTC with LNM group was significantly higher than the other two groups (P<0.05). No difference in microvessel density (MVD) scores was observed using CD31 among the three groups. The lymphatic vessel density (LVD) score using D2-40 was significantly higher in patients having PTC with LNM than the other groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion: VEGF-C and D2-40 were more highly expressed in patients having PTC with LNM than in patients having PTC without LNM or in those having TNH. Analysis of VEGF-C level and LVD using D2-40 may be helpful in the diagnosis of PTC and the evaluation of LNM potential in patients with PTC.

Keywords: Lymph node; Metastasis; Papillary carcinoma; Thyroid; VEGF-A; VEGF-C.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interests relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD31, and D2-40 expression in nodular hyperplasia, papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without lymph node metastasis (LNM), and PTC with LNM. VEGF-A expression in the PTC group was significantly higher than that in the thyroid nodular hyperplasia group (×400). VEGF-C expression in the PTC with LNM group was significantly higher than that in the other groups (×400). Microvessel density scores using CD31 were not statistically different among the three groups (×200). Lymphatic vessel density scores using D2-40 in PTC with LNM was significantly higher than those in the other groups (×200).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
This box plot shows the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and CD31 (A), and between VEGF-C and D2-40 (B). Although almost all of the samples with high positive VEGF-A and -C expression exhibited increased microvessel density (MVD) and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) compared to those of the low positive cases. No significant correlations were observed between VEGF-A expression and MVD or between VEGF-C expression and LVD.
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