Prognostic Significance of VEGF-C Expression in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C, as a lymphangiogenic factor, plays important roles in the progression of several malignancies. However, its clinical prognostic value in breast cancer still remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of available studies to assess the association between VEGF-C expression and the outcomes of breast cancer patients We searched eligible studies in three English databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) and two Chinese databases (Wanfang and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases). Key words used in the research included “VEGF-C”, “breast cancer”, “immunohistochemistry”, “breast neoplasma(s)”, “breast carcinoma”, “metastasis”, and “prognosis”. Fourteen studies with a total of 1, 573 breast cancer cases were finally included into the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CIs) for lymph node metastasis, overall survival, and disease-free survival were calculated by using fixed-effects or random-effects models. Heterogeneity and publication bias were also assessed. Meta-analysis of random-effects model showed VEGF-C expression was associated with lymph node metastasis in patients with breast cancer (random-effects, OR = 2.14; 95 % CI 1.21–3.77, P = 0.009). VEGF-C expression was associated with poorer overall survival (fixed-effects, OR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.46–4.14, P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (fixed-effects, OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.32–3.35, P = 0.002) in patients with breast cancer. VEGF-C expression is positively associated with lymph node metastasis in breast cancer, and VEGF-C detection in breast cancer might be an effective and feasible means to predict outcome.