Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of preoperative enhanced computed tomography (CT) plus vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) expression in hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: A total of 87 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) received preoperative chest enhanced CT scans and underwent standard radical operation and systematic lymph node dissection. Pathologic examination was selected as the gold standard to determine lymph node metastasis. The immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of VEGF-C. The predicting values of chest enhanced CT, VEGF-C expression and their combination for the diagnosis of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis were evaluated through comparing the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.
Results: The sensitivity of CT scan was 75.0%, specificity 59.6% and accuracy 66.7%. The positive expression rate of VEGF-C was 78.2% (68/87) and strong positive rate 13.8% (12/87). The sensitivity of VEGF-C was 97.5%, specificity 38.3% and accuracy 65.5%. The combination of CT and VEGF-C had a better accuracy (74.7%) and the sensitivity and specificity were 80.0% and 70.2% respectively.
Conclusion: Compared with CT scan or VEGF-C expression alone, the combination of CT and VEGF-C improves the specificity and accuracy of diagnosing lymph nodes metastasis in NSCLC. If this combination method is employed before therapy, the accuracy of clinical nodal staging may be enhanced.