title: VEGF and endostatin levels in wound fluid and plasma after breast surgery.
abstract: Angiogenesis is essential for wound repair after surgical trauma. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endostatin are endogenous angiogenic factors involved in the initiation and completion of angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to examine the local and systemic VEGF and endostatin profiles in patients undergoing surgery for benign and malignant breast processes. A total of 16 patients with or without cancer underwent breast surgery. Group I: eight patients with primary breast cancer underwent a simple or radical mastectomy according to Madden including dissection of axillary lymph nodes. Group II: eight healthy female-to-male transsexuals underwent subcutaneous mastectomy. VEGF and endostatin levels in plasma and wound fluid were determined. In both groups VEGF levels in wound fluid were significantly higher compared to postoperative plasma levels, whereas wound fluid endostatin levels were lower than plasma levels and decreased progressively after surgery. In both groups plasma VEGF and endostatin levels did not change significantly before and after surgery. The local VEGF increase and endostatin decrease observed immediately after surgery appears to be a physiological response to operative trauma, which can be studied more profoundly in locally generated fluid than in blood. This process did not seem to be influenced by the type of process (cancerous or non-cancerous) involved in the surgical intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Surgical Gastro-Intestinal & Oncology, VU Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: F P K
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoekman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cuesta
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D043169:Endostatins / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D043169:Endostatins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A