To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C in serum of patients with gastric carcinoma, and to analyze its relationship and clinicopathological features to predict the clinical value of lymph node metastasis and micrometastasis.

Between January 2012 and January 2016, a total of one hundred and thirteen patients with gastric carcinoma and 30 healthycontrols were studied. Serum VEGF-C levels were assessed by enzymed-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The negative lymph nodes examined by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for micrometastasis. Statistical analysis was done to explore the relationship between the expression of VEGF-C protein in serum and clinicopathological data and lymph nodemicrometastasis.

The serum level of VEGF-C protein in patients with gastric cancer was (1 687.06±305.21) ng/L, which was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (729.46±182.31) ng/L (t=8.61, P<0.05). The concentration of VEGF-C in serum of 66 patients with lymph node metastasis was (2 063.75±313.08) ng/L, significantly higher than (1 208.39±231.92) ng/L in 47 patients without lymph node metastasis, the difference was statistically significant (t=7.23, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the concentration of VEGF-C between micrometastasis group and non-micrometastasis group [(1 306.01±265.69) ng/L vs (1 183.26±206.54) ng/L, t=1.92, P>0.05]. The expression of VEGF-C in gastric cancerpatients with different TNM clinical stages was significantly different (F=10.21, P<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of predicting lymph node metastasis were 77.3% and 83.0% respectively with serum VEGF-C concentration of 1 705.60 ng/L as the diagnostic threshold.

The serum levels of VEGF-C have potential use as diagnostic measurements in gastric carcinoma. Detection of serum VEGF-C concentration is helpful to predict lymph node metastasis and improve the accuracy of preoperative clinical staging of gastric cancer. There is no relationship between serum VEGF-C level and lymph node micrometastasis.