Purpose: To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in gingival carcinoma and their correlation in order to provide reference for clinical treatment.
Methods: Sixty-six gingival cancer patients were determined by pathological examination, among which 31 were well-differentiated, 20 were moderately differentiated and 15 were poorly differentiated. 15 adjacent normal tissues were chosen as control group. The expression of VEGF and PTEN was examined by immunohistochemical method. Correlation analysis was performed with SPSS13.0 software package.
Results: The positive rate of PTEN in control group was significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). The expression of VEGF in poorly differentiated group was significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the expression of VEGF was positively correlated to recurrence and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05); PTEN was negatively correlated to recurrence and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05); VEGF and PTEN in gingival carcinoma was negatively correlated (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The increased expression of VEGF and decreased expression of PTEN in gingival carcinoma may play a mutual role in the development of gingival cancer.