The Expression of Vascular Endothel ial Growth Factor in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors

Objective 　To investigate expression feature of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in testicular germ cell tumors ( TGCT) and its clinical significance. Methods 　Employing immunohistochemistry, VEGF expression and microvessel count s (MVC) were studied on slides of paraffin2embeded specimens of 42 cases of TGCT with diverse pathological types and stages. Vascular invasion was also detected by hematoxylin and eosin ( HE) stains. Results 　VEGF expression and MVC were both significantly higher in tumor group. The expression levels of VEGF rose with clinical stages development ( P <0. 001), but did not differ among various pathologic types ( P > 0. 05) . MVC in stage C was significantly higher than in stage A and B, respectively. VEGF expression was markedly correlated with MVC ( r =0. 675, P < 0. 001) . Vascular invasion rate was higher in clinical progressed stages. But when using multiple regression analysis, only VEGF expression revealed a correlation with clinical stages. Conclusion 　This study suggested that VEGF performed an important role in angiogenesis and might promote the development of TGCT. VEGF would be a potent indicator for biological characteristic of TGCT.