Background Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) has been suggested to play an important role in solid tumours. Although several reports have shown the relationship between VEGFR2 expression and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the expression pattern of VEGFR2 in HCC parenchyma or stroma, as well as the relationship between VEGFR2 expression and clinicopathological characteristics in HCC, are yet to be satisfactorily defined.

Methods One-step real-time PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to characterise the expression of VEGFR2 in HCC using a self-made anti-VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody (A8H1).

Results Expression of VEGFR2 in HCC cells was higher than in hepatic cells (p<0.001). Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemistry by χ² test analysis showed that the high expression of VEGFR2 in HCC was related to large tumour diameter (p=0.012), poor differentiation (p=0.007), high serum α-fetoprotein (p=0.029), multifocal gross classification (p=0.007), and less than 5 years' survival (p=0.029). Kaplan–Meier survival and Cox regression analyses showed that high VEGFR2 expression (p=0.009) and stage grouping with TNM classification (p=0.004) were independent prognotic factors.

Conclusions The efficacy of A8H1 in immunohistochemistry using HCC tissues was confirmed. There was a correlation of high VEGFR2 expression with prognostic significance in HCC. Additionally, the self-made anti-VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody could be used for future anti-HCC-targeted therapy research.