Expression and Clinical Significance of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Sentinel Lymph Node Tissues of Breast Cancer by Different Detection Methods

YIN Pei; CAO Li-ming; YOU Zhi-xin; CHAI Peng; HAO Mei-jing; WANG Hao

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-3429.2017.08.029

Abstract：Objective To investigate expression and clinical significance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) tissues of patients with breast cancer by different detection methods.Methods A total of 47 patients with primary breast cancer undergoing surgery during October 2011 and October 2015 were recruited in this study, and all patients were injected 99mTc-sulfur colloid (99mTc-SC) around areola papillaris to locate SLNS before the operation, and modified radical mastectomy was performed for all patients, and SLNs were detected by γ detector during operation.Routinely pathological examination was performed for all patients, and VEGF expressions were detected by immunohistostaining and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods.Results In 47 patients, 105 SLNs were detected, and 85 SLNs were SLNS metastasis by routinely pathologic examination.VEGF expression levels in SLNs metastasis cases were significantly higher than those in non SLNs metastasis cases by routinely pathological examination (P<0.05).Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that VEGF positive expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.05).The differences in detection rates of SLNS metastasis by routinely pathological examination, VEGF immunohistostaining and RT-PCR methods were statistically significant (P<0.05), and the detection rate of SLNS metastasis in breast cancer by routinely pathological examination was significantly lower than those by VEGF immunohistostaining and RT-PCR methods (P<0.05).Conclusion SLNs living tissue of pathologic examination has clinical significance in judgement of SLNS metastasis in breast cancer, and therefore clinicians should simultaneously use immunohistostaining and RT-PCR methods on the basis of routinely pathological examination in order to improve the detection rate of SLNS micrometastases.