title: [Change in vascular endothelial growth factor level in serum and urine of esophageal carcinoma patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the serum and urine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level in patients with esophageal carcinoma and to elucidate their significance of pre-operative VEGF levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine VEGF level was measured by sandwich ELISA in 82 esophageal carcinoma patients and 15 healthy individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum and urine VEGF levels (mean +/- s, ng/L) in esophageal carcinoma patients were 92.81 +/- 5.86 and 277.92 +/- 22.71 which were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (16.01 +/- 3.46 and 15.27 +/- 4.22, P < 0.01). The pre-operatiive urine VEGF level in esophageal cancer patients were significantly higher in advanced stage of the disease (P < 0.01). As to the depth of invasion (T-factor), the urine VEGF level of T4 invasive lesions were significantly higher than those with T1-T3 invasion (P < 0.01). The same was also true in esophageal carcinoma having lymph node metastasis than that without (P < 0.05). The urine VEGF level was significantly higher than the serum VEGF level (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VEGF plays an important role in the growth and metastasis of esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Eighth Hospital, Shanghai 200233, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D053380:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 15; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: C117026:TNFSF15 protein, human; D053380:Tumor Necrosis Factor Ligand Superfamily Member 15; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha