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.
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.
Duque
José Luis Ferreira
JL
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. jlduque@terra.com.br
Loughlin
Kevin R
KR
Adam
Rosalyn M
RM
Kantoff
Philip
P
Mazzucchi
Eduardo
E
Freeman
Michael R
MR
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*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen