Tissue factor and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in colorectal cancer: relation with cancer recurrence.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to quantify tissue factor (TF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in colorectal cancer and to evaluate their possible relationship with recurrence.


METHODS
TF and VEGF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in surgical tumour specimens and normal mucosa from 50 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer who were followed up for 3 years for the assessment of disease recurrence.


RESULTS
TF and VEGF antigens were detected in all tumour samples. VEGF, but not TF, was much higher in tumour than in normal mucosa (P < 0.0001), as also confirmed by measurement of specific mRNAs. There was a strong correlation between TF and VEGF antigens (P < 0.0005) in tumour tissue but not in normal mucosa. Neither protein was related to tumour stage, grade or size. Local or distant recurrence was statistically related to pTNM stage. High VEGF, but not TF, levels in tumour extracts were associated with an increased risk of recurrence both by univariate (RR, 4.00, 95% CI: 1.45-11.0) and multivariate analyses (RR, 3.65, 95% CI: 1.33-10.0).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that VEGF content in colorectal cancer is an independent risk factor for tumour recurrence and might help select patients who might benefit from adjuvant therapy.
Altomare
D F
DF
Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, General Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. altomare@clichiru.uniba.it
Rotelli
M T
MT
Pentimone
A
A
Rossiello
M R
MR
Martinelli
E
E
Guglielmi
A
A
De Fazio
M
M
Marino
F
F
Memeo
V
V
Colucci
M
M
Semeraro
N
N
D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012372:ROC Curve; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D013925:Thromboplastin