@article{oai:nagasaki-u.repo.nii.ac.jp:00004692,
 author = {Naruse, Tomofumi and Yanamoto, Souichi and Yamada, Shin-Ichi and Takahashi, Hidenori and Matsushita, Yuki and Imayama, Naomi and Ikeda, Hisazumi and Shiraishi, Takeshi and Fujita, Shuichi and Ikeda, Tohru and Asahina, Izumi and Umeda, Masahiro},
 issue = {4},
 journal = {Oncology Letters},
 month = {Oct},
 note = {The aim of the present study was to elucidate the associations between the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C)/VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) axis and lymphangiogenesis, regional lymph node metastasis and clinicopathological factors in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) using immunohistochemistry. The expression of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and podoplanin was immunohistochemically evaluated in specimens obtained from 65 patients with OTSCC (T1-2, N0) who had undergone radical surgery alone. The associations between the expression of VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and podoplanin, and lymphangiogenesis, regional lymph node metastasis and clinocopathological factors were determined by immunohistochemical analysis. VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and combined VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 expression was significantly higher in cases with regional recurrence compared with those without lymph node involvement (P<0.001). As regards lymphangiogenesis, a significant correlation was observed between podoplanin expression and VEGF-C, VEGFR-3 and combined VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 expression (P<0.001). Therefore, lymphangiogenesis in the peritumoral stroma was associated with lymph node metastasis. However, podoplanin expression did not exhibit a significant correlation with the progression of lymph node metastasis. The results of the present study suggest that the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 axis may be associated with lymph node metastasis through lymphangiogenesis. Determining the VEGF-C/VEGFR-3 expression status may help predict which patients will develop regional recurrence and provide novel targets for therapies to suppress lymph node metastasis in the treatment of OTSCC., Oncology Letters, 10(4), pp.2027-2034; 2015},
 pages = {2027--2034},
 title = {Immunohistochemical study of vascular endothelial growth factor‑C/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor‑3 expression in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma: Correlation with the induction of lymphangiogenesis},
 volume = {10},
 year = {2015}
}