Abstract: Abstract Objective: To study the different expression and clinical significance of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in the prostate carcinoma. Methods: SABC immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine the expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in 59 cases of prostate carcinoma (PC) and 13 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The expression and relationship of HIF-1α and VEGF-C with clinic-pathological features were analyzed. Results: The expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF-C were significantly higher in PC (66.1%, 76.3% respectively) compared with BPH (7.7%, 0 respectively). The expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in neoplastic tissue of patients were closely correlated with the tumor differentiation, clinical stages and the lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Their expressions, however, did not show any correlations to the patient’s age and PSA level (P>0.05). There was a positive correlation between the expressions of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in prostatic carcinoma(r=0.261, P<0.05). Conclusion：The synergy of HIF-1α and VEGF-C may play a great role in the genesis and development of prostate tumor. Maybe the over-expression of HIF-1αinduces tumor invasion by activating the transcription of VEGF-C.

Key words: hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α, vascular endothelial growth factor C, prostate carcinoma, metastasis, immunohistochemistry