The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and the type 1 vascular endothelial growth factor receptor correlate with the size of papillary thyroid carcinoma in children and young adults

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is essential for the growth of ma ny solid tumors, but there are Little data regarding VEGH in childhood thyr oid cancers. We examined the relationships between VEGF, the type 1 VEGF re ceptor (FLT-1) and clinical outcome for a group of thyroid cancers in child ren and young adults. The expression of VEGF and FLT-1 were determined by i mmunohistochemistry using archival, paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue blocks and compared with the retrospective clinical outcome for each patient. The study included 67 children and young adults with papillary thyroid carcino ma (PTC, n = 42), follicular thyroid carcinoma (ETC, n = 8), benign lesions (n = 15), or controls (n = 2). VEGF expression was greater in PTC (mean in tensity 2.23 +/-: 0.25, p = 0.002) and FTC (2.8 +/- 0.73, p = 0.01) than be nign lesions (1.0 +/- 0.27), and correlated with PTC size (r = 0.42, p = 0. 008). FLT-1 expression was greater in PTC (mean intensity 2.8 +/- 0.17) tha n FTC (1.9 +/- 0.25, p = 0.015) and benign lesions (1.7 +/- 0.32, p 0.002); and correlated with PTC size (r = 0.41, p = 0.01) as well as VEGF expressi on (r = 0.52, p = 0.002). Recurrent disease developed exclusively in patien ts with PTC which expressed VEGF (7/28, 95% CI 10.6%-44.2%). PTC that did n ot express VEGF (0/8, 95% CI = 0%-31.2%) did not recur; however, the differ ence was not statistically significant (p = 0.15). We conclude that the exp ression of VEGF and FLT-1 are directly correlated with the size of PTC in c hildren and young adults.