Clinical Pathological Correlations of VEGF Protein Expression in Gastric Cancer at a Tertiary Facility in Uganda

Authors: Mawanda A, Odida M, Lukande R, Boaz M, Okecha T, Waiswa A, Niyonzima N, Nyakato V, Owor G, Nabbale DL, Wabinga H and Kalungi S

DOI: 10.23880/cprj-16000200

Volume 8, Issue 1

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer ranks as the 5th most common cancer worldwide and is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths, responsible for approximately 783,000 deaths annually. In Uganda, its incidence has risen from 0.8 per 100,000 people in 1960 to 9 per 100,000 in 2014. Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein expression is critical for gastric cancer management, its prevalence in Ugandan patients is unknown. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of VEGF protein expression in gastric cancer and investigate related clinicopathological features at the Makerere University Pathology Department. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using conveniently sampled archived tissue blocks from patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma. These samples underwent Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Results: The study analyzed 100 specimens with a male to female ratio of 1.56:1 and an average age of 59.4 years. VEGF expression was positive in 57.0% of cases. The intestinal Lauren subtype constituted 79% of cases, while the diffuse subtype made up 21%. The predominant histological subtype was tubular adenocarcinoma (52.0%). Most cases were poorly differentiated (42.0%), well-differentiated (31.0%), and moderately differentiated (27.0%). Higher VEGF expression was observed in lower tumor grades (71.0%) (p=0.059). Tubular adenocarcinomas exhibited the highest VEGF expression (p=0.099). Male patients showed higher VEGF expression (P=0.610). Mucinous adenocarcinoma had the lowest VEGF expression (p=0.004), and poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas also had very low VEGF expression (p=0.049). Conclusion: The study revealed significant overexpression of VEGF in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues, with varying associations to different clinicopathological variables.

Keywords: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF); Immunohistochemistry; Carcinoma

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