Prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 and class III β-tubulin in survival for non-metastatic rectal cancer.

Aim: To assess the long-term prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) mRNA expression in non-metastatic rectal cancer.

Methods: A total of 75 consecutive patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer from March 2004 to November 2008 were analyzed retrospectively at our institute. The mRNA expressions of VEGFR1 and TUBB3 were detected by multiplex branched DNA liquid-chip technology. The Cutoff Finder application was applied to determine cutoff point of mRNA expression. SPSS software version 22.0 was used for analysis.

Results: The median follow-up was 102.7 mo (range, 6-153.6). The χ and Fisher's exact tests showed that VEGFR1 expression was related to lymph node metastasis ( = 0.013), while no relationships between TUBB3 and clinicopathological features were observed. Univariate analysis showed that T stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor differentiation, VEGFR1 and TUBB3 mRNA expression were correlated to overall survival (OS) ( = 0.048, = 0.003, = 0.052, = 0.003 and = 0.015, respectively). Also, lymph node metastasis and VEGFR1 expression independently influenced OS by multivariate analysis ( = 0.027 and = 0.033). VEGFR1 expression was positively correlated with TUBB3 ( = 0.024). The patients with low expression of both TUBB3 and VEGFR1 presented a better OS ( = 0.003). In addition, the receiver operating characteristic analysis suggested that the combination of lymph node metastasis and VEGFR1 had a more favorable prognostic value ( < 0.001).

Conclusion: VEGFR1 expression and lymph node metastasis independently and jointly affect survival. Moreover, low expression of VEGFR1 and TUBB3 presented a better OS in patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer, which might serve as a potential prognostic factor.