High VEGFC was a negative prognostic factor for disease-free survival [ hazard ratio ( HR ) = 1.79 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) = 1.05-3 .05 , Wald 's p = 0.032 ] , with a trend for overall survival ( HR = 1.80 , 95 % CI = 0.94-3 .47 , p = 0.078 ) in patients treated with E-CMF adjusted for clinicopathological characteristics , while high VEGFR1 was associated with increased risk for death , yet non significantly in patients with HER2-negative disease ( HR = 1.51 , 95 % CI = 0.82-2 .77 , p = 0.18 ) , regardless of treatment .