Study of the relationship between the micro-lymphatic vessel density and invasion and metastasis in gastric carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the relationship between the micro-lymphatic vessel density(LMVD) and invasion and metastasis in gastric carcinoma. METHODS:The expression of LYVE-1 in 52 cases of gastric carcinoma was detected by immunohistochemical SP method,by which the LMVD was calculated. RESULTS:The lymphangiogenesis was shown in peritumoral tissue in gastric carcinoma.LMVD of gastric carcinoma was higher than that of normal gastric tissue(P0.05). LMVD with lymphatic metastasis was higher than that without lymphatic metastasis(P0.05); LMVD with big tumor(diameter5 cm)was higher than that with small tumor(diameter5 cm)(P0.05); LMVD with serosal invasion was higher than that without serosal invasion(P0.05). CONCLUSION:LMVD is closely related to lymph node metastasis,tumor size and invasive depth,which is helpful to determine the prognosis of gastric cancer and treatment program evaluation.