title: Prognostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen and vascular endothelial growth factor tumor tissue content in colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to assess the prognostic significance of the combined measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tissue content with respect to relapse-free and overall survival of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative evaluation of VEGF and CEA content was performed on protein extracts obtained from tissue biopsies from 69 CRC patients and 15 healthy donors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VEGF significantly correlated with CEA content of either tumor tissues (rho = 0.55, p < 0.0001) or corresponding normal mucosa (rho = 0.34, p < 0.005). General regression analyses demonstrated that CEA was an independent predictor of VEGF tissue content either in CRC biopsies (regression coefficient = 0.57, p < 0.0001) or normal mucosa (regression coefficient = 0.25, p < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards survival analysis showed that tumor tissue content of both VEGF and CEA had an independent prognostic value in predicting both relapse-free (hazards ratio = 5.98, p = 0.002) and overall (hazards ratio = 4.73, p = 0.007) survival, irrespective of Dukes' stage. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that an elevated tumor content of both CEA and VEGF had a negative prognostic value in respect to either relapse-free (log-rank test: 10.4, p = 0.001) or overall survival (log-rank test: 7.33, p = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tumor tissue VEGF and CEA content determination might add useful prognostic information in the management of patients with CRC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Advanced Biotechnologies, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy. patrizia.ferroni@sanraffaele.it
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferroni
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palmirotta
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spila
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Formica
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Portarena
authors.forename: Girolamo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Del Monte
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Buonomo
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guadagni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000378:metabolism*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A