title: VEGF in the culture of PMN and the serum in oral cavity cancer patients.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays a pivotal role in angiogenesis in vivo. In the present study we examined the ability of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to secrete VEGF confronted with the serum levels in oral cavity cancer patients. To investigate whether VEGF may have a prognostic importance, its value in the serum and the culture supernatants was related to the clinical course of patients. The levels of VEGF in the culture supernatant of PMN from patients were significantly higher than those from control. Increased VEGF production by PMN according to clinical progression disease, observed in the present study, seems to suggest a stimulating role of tumour cells in VEGF production by PMN. Additionally, a decrease in the ability of PMN to VEGF release after surgery may be caused by a removal of the tumour mass and then the lack the effects of tumour cells on PMN function. Results obtained appear to suggest that PMN can contribute significantly to the initiation and amplification of tumour angiogenesis and metastasis in oral cavity cancer patients. Increased values of VEGF with progression of disease and decreased values after surgery treatment clearly suggest that VEGF can play a role as a tumour marker in oral cavity cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Medical Academy of Bialystok, 1 Kilinski, Bialystok, Poland. ewaj@amb.ac.bialystok.pl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jablonska
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Piotrowski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jablonski
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Grabowska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008222:Lymphokines; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors