Tumor tissue samples were obtained from 335 patients who had undergone resection for stage I-IIIA NSCLC, and tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to evaluate the expression of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, PDGF-A, PDGF-B, PDGFR-¦Á, PDGFR-¦Â, and FGF-2. Tumor size was categorized using the same cutoffs as in the 7th TNM classification for lung cancer.
In multivariate analysis, high VEGFR-2 (HR, 1.87, [95 % CI, 1.02-3.45]; P = .043), VEGFR-3 (HR, 2.18 [95 % CI, 1.28-3.71]; P = .004) and the combination of high VEGF-A and high VEGFR-2 expression (low/low vs. high/high; HR, 3.28 [95 % CI, 1.47-7.31]; P = .004) were independent negative prognostic factors in T2a tumors. High PDGF-B expression (HR, 11.72 [95 % CI, 3.07-44.76]; P < .001) was an independent prognostic factor in T2b tumors.
The prognostic impact of angiogenic factors depend in part on tumor size. VEGF-A/VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 seem to have their main impact in T2a tumors, while PDGF-B is a strong and independent prognostic factor in T2b tumors.