Circulating VEGF levels in the serum of gastric cancer patients: correlation with pathological variables, patient survival, and tumor surgery.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in gastric cancer patients.


BACKGROUND
Vascular endothelial growth factor plays an important role in the formation of new blood vessels involved in the growth and metastatic spread of solid tumors, but there is limited information regarding the clinical significance of serum VEGF levels in cancer patients.


METHODS
Serum VEGF concentrations were measured by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in 61 healthy controls and in 58 gastric cancer patients before surgery, and then again at 7 and 30 days after surgery. The association between preoperative serum VEGF levels, clinicopathological features and patient survival, and their changes following surgery were evaluated.


RESULTS
Serum VEGF levels in gastric cancer patients were significantly higher than those in controls. There was a significant association between serum VEGF levels and disease stage, as well as invasion depth of the tumor and the presence of distant metastases. Serum VEGF levels decreased significantly after radical resection of the primary tumor and increased in patients with unresectable tumors. Multivariate regression analysis showed that serum VEGF level is an independent prognostic factor for survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum VEGF levels in gastric patients are significantly higher compared with normal controls and correlate with local tumor extent, disease stage, and the presence of distant metastases. Preoperative serum VEGF concentration decreases significantly after radical resection of the primary tumor and is an independent prognostic factor for patient survival suggesting that determination of serum VEGF levels may be clinically useful.
Second Department of Surgery, Democritus University of Thrace, Medical School, Alexandroupolis, Greece. akarayan@usa.net
Anastasios J
AJ
Karayiannakis
Konstantinos N
KN
Syrigos
Alexandros
A
Polychronidis
Andrew
A
Zbar
Gregory
G
Kouraklis
Constantinos
C
Simopoulos
Gabriel
G
Karatzas
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016019:Survival Analysis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
D015415:Biomarkers; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors