VEGF expression and desmoplastic reaction as potential progressive factors in young patients with colorectal cancer.

Aim: To compare the expression of VEGF-A and desmoplastic reaction of colorectal cancer between the young aged and old aged patients excluding the stage of tumor.

Methods: Our study was a retrospective study on VEGF-A expression and desmoplastic reaction in pathology anatomy specimens of patients with colorectal cancer at young age (less than 40 years of age) and older age (more than equal 60 years of age). The samples had been taken since 2001 until 2008 and the sample size for each group was 42 samples for young age and 36 samples for older age subjects. To carry out the examination of VEGF expression, our study utilized the immunohistochemistry method. In addition, desmoplastic reaction as a preliminary study was evaluated by using routine HE staining. To recognize the difference of VEGF-A expression and the degree of desmoplastic reaction in young aged and older aged patients with colorectal cancer, a Chi-Square test was performed. The statistics was considered as significant when p value <0.05.

Results: Forty-two patients were at younger age (< or =40 years) and 36 patients were at older age (> or =60 years), with characteristics of them 37 males and 41 females. Tumor grading was performed based on WHO criteria. Ten subjects with high-grade tumor and 32 subjects with low-grade in the young age group; while in the older age group, there were 9 subjects with high-grade tumor and 27 subjects with low grade tumor. In young age, there was twice greater likelihood to have pronounced desmoplastic reaction compared to the older age (OR = 2.1).

Conclusion: The VEGF-A expression in younger and older age was nearly the same; however, there was significant difference of desmoplastic reaction in younger aged patients compared to the older aged. There was also comparable correlation between strong positive VEGF-A expression and strong desmoplastic reaction in young patients with colorectal cancer.