title: Plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) measured in seventy dogs with spontaneously occurring tumours.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) acts specifically on endothelial cells mediating tumour neovascularisation and initiating tumour growth and metastasis. In humans, high VEGF levels are correlated with poorer prognosis but in dogs minimal information on plasma VEGF is available. Therefore, we analysed plasma VEGF in a variety of spontaneous canine tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma from seventy dogs with various spontaneous tumours was taken prior to radiation therapy. A human VEGF ELISA was used for analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean plasma VEGF was 7.2+/-7.8 pg/ml. Mean plasma VEGF level varied among different tumour types with the highest level in oral melanomas (12.4 pg/ml). In patients with sarcomas of soft tissue or bone origin, plasma VEGF levels increased significantly with decreasing haemoglobin concentration (p =0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Canine plasma VEGF levels depend on tumour histology, with higher levels found in more aggressive tumours. The negative correlation between plasma VEGF and haemoglobin (hb) is most probably due to tissue hypoxia seen in anaemic animals.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging and Radio-Oncology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland. mwergin@vetclinics.unizh.ch
authors.forename: Melanie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Wergin
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaser-Hotz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D015614:Histiocytosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A