Published online Sep 15, 2004. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v10.i18.2750
Revised: December 23, 2003
Accepted: January 15, 2004
Published online: September 15, 2004
AIM: To investigate the relationship of urokinase type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression with clinical and pathological characteristics of human gallbladder cancer.
METHODS: uPAR and VEGF expressions in 68 gallbladder cancer tissues were detected with anti-receptor immunohistochemical stain.
RESULTS: Expression rate of uPAR was 57.4% (39/68), and VEGF 51.5% (35/68) in gallbladder cancer tissues. Expression of both uPAR and VEGF was significantly related to metastasis, but not significantly correlated with differentiation stage and size of gallbladder cancer.
CONCLUSION: Expression of uPAR and VEGF may be an invasive phenotype of gallbladder cancer and indicator for predicting prognoses, and uPAR expression is significantly correlated with the expression of VEGF.