Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A in Gallbladder Cancer Cells: A Clinicopathological Study

Background/Aim: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key mediator of tumor angiogenesis. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of VEGF expression gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains incompletely defined. This study evaluated the significance of VEGF expression in resected GBC specimens.

Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 53 patients who underwent curative resection for GBC between 2001 and 2019. VEGF expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in carcinoma tissues and paired non-cancerous mucosa.

Results: VEGF positivity was more frequent in carcinomas than in non-cancerous mucosa [24/53 (45%) vs. 6/46 (13%); p<0.001]. VEGF-positive carcinomas had higher recurrence rate than VEGF-negative cases [11/24 (46%) vs. 4/29 (14%); p=0.0145] and more frequent perineural invasion [9/24 (38%) vs. 2/29 (7%); p=0.0145). Five-year overall survival was lower in the VEGF-positive group than in the VEGF-negative group (64.7% vs. 88.2%; p=0.0218).

Conclusion: VEGF expression in GBC was associated with adverse pathological features and poorer survival after curative resection. VEGF immunostaining in resected specimens may provide prognostic value and help identify patients at higher postoperative risk stratification.