Correlational study of vascular endothelial growth factor expression and microvessel density in primary malignant gastric lymphoma

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density (MVD) in primary malignant gastric lymphoma were studied, and their correlation as well as its clinical significance was analyzed. Thirty-five patients diagnosed with primary malignant gastric lymphoma were enrolled in this study. VEGF expression in the tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Microvessel density in tumors was counted with Weidner’s method and compared with MVD in normal tissues 5 cm away from tumor site. Collected data were analyzed statistically. Our results showed that VEGF expression and MVD in tumor tissues were higher than those in normal tissues, and the difference between these two groups was significant (P < 0.01). As VEGF expression was elevated, MVD was also increased in tumor tissues. Statistical analysis revealed that VEGF expression was positively correlated with MVD (r = 0.392, P < 0.05). VEGF was highly expressed in primary malignant gastric lymphoma and positively correlated with MVD. These results strongly suggest that anti-angiogenesis therapy investigated in gastric lymphoma is a prospective clinical trial.