Expression of VEGFR-3 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma correlates with unfavorable prognosis through lymphangiogenesis

VEGFR-3 has been shown of great significance in lymph node metastasis and some malignancies, however, its expression in tumors and impact on outcome of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the role of VEGFR-3 positive tumors for prognosis of iCCA and tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis. Clinicopathological features, prognostic factors and survival rate were analyzed to evaluate the influence of VEGFR-3 positive expression on prognosis of iCCA. In addition, tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis quantified as micro-lymphatic vessel density (MLVD) was assessed to explore the correlation between VEGFR-3 expression and lymph node metastasis for iCCA. Patients with VEGFR-3 positive tumors had increased lymph node metastasis ( =0.025) and were more likely to suffer from tumor recurrence compared with VEGFR-3 negative tumors (