title: Measurement of plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in prostate cancer patients: relationship with clinical stage, Gleason score, prostate volume, and serum prostate-specific antigen.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study focused on circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with prostate cancer compared to a normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 26 normal individuals and 80 patients with prostate cancer. Blood was drawn from all subjects, and plasma was extracted to determine the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor using a quantitative immunoassay technique (ELISA-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median plasma level of vascular endothelial growth factor was significantly elevated in patients with metastatic disease compared to patients with localized disease and with healthy controls. Patients with serum prostate-specific antigen > 20 ng/mL had significantly higher levels of plasma vascular endothelial growth factor than patients with serum prostate-specific antigen < 20 ng/mL. There was a trend for patients with a Gleason score of 8 to 10 to have higher levels of plasma vascular endothelial growth factor when compared to patients with lower Gleason scores. No relationship was found between plasma vascular endothelial growth factor and clinical staging, or between plasma vascular endothelial growth factor and prostate volume, in patients with localized prostate cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that patients with metastatic prostate cancer have higher plasma vascular endothelial growth factor levels than patients with localized disease or in healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. jlduque@terra.com.br
authors.forename: José Luis Ferreira
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Duque
authors.forename: Kevin R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Loughlin
authors.forename: Rosalyn M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kantoff
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzucchi
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Freeman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen