A study on the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and delta like 1 homolog in osteosarcoma and their association

ZHANG Jun; LI Jian-jun; YANG Jun; YANG Yong

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-252X.2015.01.006

Abstract：Objective To study the relationship between the expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) and delta like 1 homolog ( DLK1 ) and the grade, metastasis and prognosis of osteosarcoma, and to lay a foundation for the research on invasion and metastasis mechanism of osteosarcoma.Methods The expressions of VEGF and DLK1 in 42 patients with osteosarcomas were detected using microwave Streptavidin-Perosidase ( SP ) immunohistochemical method, who were taken as the experimental group. In the negative control group, there were 30 patients with benign osteochondromas. Based on the biological behavior of osteosarcoma and clinical follow-up data, the relationship between the expressions of VEGF and DLK1 and the grade, metastasis and prognosis of osteosarcoma and the correlation between the expressions of VEGF and DLK1 in osteosarcoma cells were analyzed. Results In osteosarcoma cells, the expression rates of VEGF and DLK1 were 76.2% and 66.7%. In osteochondroma cells, the expression rates of VEGF and DLK1 were 0 and 0. The positive expression rates of VEGF and DLK1 in osteosarcoma cells were signiifcantly higher than that in osteochondroma cells (P<0.05 ). According to pathological grading and Enneking staging, statistically signiifcant differences existed in the positive expression rate of VEGF in osteosarcoma cells at different grades ( high, medium and low ) and stages ( I-II A and II B-III ) (P<0.05 ). With the increase of pathological grade and Enneking stage, the positive expression rate of VEGF became higher and higher. Differences existed in the positive expression rate of DLK1 in osteosarcoma cells at different pathological grades,which were statistically signiifcant (P<0.05 ). With the increase of pathological grade, the positive expression rate of DLK1 became higher and higher. There was a positive correlation between the expressions of VEGF and DLK1 (r=0.8957,P<0.05 ). A significant positive correlation existed between the expressions of VEGF and DLK1 and metastasis of osteosarcoma (r=0.6782,r=0.7643,P<0.05 ). And a significant positive correlation was also found between the expressions of VEGF and DLK1 and prognosis of osteosarcoma (r=0.8462,r=0.8758,P<0.05 ). Conclusions VEGF and DLK1 are highly expressed in osteosarcoma. If the positive expression rates of VEGF and DLK1 are high in osteosarcoma, the malignancy and metastasis rate are high and the prognosis is poor. The positive expression rates of VEGF and DLK1 act as important biological indicators for the grade, metastasis and poor prognosis of osteosarcoma, which may also work in coordination with each other in the proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma.