Clinical significance of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with primary lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenesis factor closely associated with the growth and metastasis of malignant tumours.


METHODS
In the present study, we measured plasma VEGF levels in 20 normal subjects (N), 35 patients with benign lung diseases (B), 28 patients with untreated advanced lung cancer (NT) and 10 patients with treated lung cancer (T). In addition, we measured the VEGF levels in pleural effusions from five patients with primary lung cancer and two patients with active infectious diseases. Vascular endothelial growth factor was measured by ELISA.


RESULTS
The mean (+/-SD) plasma VEGF level in NT patients (160.8 +/- 177.4 pg/mL) was fivefold higher than that in other patient groups (T, 17.7 +/- 4.9 pg/mL; B, 28.3 +/- 17.6 pg/mL) and the N group (14.9 +/- 7.0 pg/mL; P < 0.01). Vascular endothelial growth factor from lung cancer pleural effusions (17 526.0 +/- 22 498.2 pg/mL) was 25-fold higher than that from patients with active infectious diseases (665.5 +/- 259.0 pg/mL).


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma VEGF may be a good clinical indicator for the assessment of primary lung cancer and pleural effusion VEGF in primary lung cancer is higher than pleural effusion VEGF in patients with inflammatory diseases.
Kishiro
Izumi
I
Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan. kishiro@dokkyomed.ac.jp
Kato
Shiro
S
Fuse
Daisuke
D
Yoshida
Takeshi
T
Machida
Suguru
S
Kaneko
Noboru
N
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D000328:Adult; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors