A study of lymphangiogenesis induced by carcinoma of oral buccal mucosa

Objective: To investigate lymphangiogenesis induced by carcinoma of buccal mucosa and study the relationships between it and lymphatic metastasis Methods: The expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor C and its receptor Flt-4 were investigated in fifty six primary squamous cell carcinomas of buccal mucosa by using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical staining Relationships were analyzed statistically between VEGF-C expression and cancer invasive pattern, lymphatics invasion, lymph nodes metastases, et al. Results: The expressions of VE GF C of cancer cells are significantly correlated to the expressions of Flt-4 of lymphatic endothelial in cancer stroma（P＜0 001) Carcinomas with lymphatics invasion and lymph nodes metastasis were VEGF-C positive in significantly hig her rates than those without invasion and metastasis （P＜0 001) Conclusion:Expression of VEGF-C and induction of lymphangiogenesis of buccal cancer might be important for lymphatic metastasis and could be a reference to clinical treatments of neck lymph nodes