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 (P<0.05). LMVD with lymphatic metastasis was higher than that without lymphatic metastasis (P<0.05); LMVD with big tumor (diameter >5 cm) was higher than that with small tumor (diameter <5 cm) (P<0.05); LMVD with serosal invasion was higher than that without serosal invasion (P<0.05).
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.