Preoperative serum placenta growth factor level is a prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Increased angiogenesis at the site of the primary tumor in colorectal cancer has been associated with poor prognosis and relapse of disease. We previously demonstrated that the tissue level of placenta growth factor expression was upregulated in colorectal cancer and correlated with disease progression and patient survival. The aims of this study are to examine the prognostic value of serum placenta growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and sFlt-1 and to compare them with the carcinoembryonic antigen levels in patients with colorectal cancer.


METHODS
Preoperative serum from 86 patients and serum from 30 healthy controls was included. The levels of sFlt-1, placenta growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum were assayed and correlated with the clinical stage results.


RESULTS
Serum placenta growth factor, but not vascular endothelial growth factor, increased; sFlt-1 decreased in patients with preoperative colorectal cancer, compared with healthy controls. Higher preoperation serum placenta growth factor levels were associated with higher risk of recurrence. Preoperation serum placenta growth factor, but not carcinoembryonic antigen, was a prognostic indicator in patients with Stage III colorectal cancer. When we use the median level (20.6 pg/ml) of preoperative serum placenta growth factor as a cutoff point, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value for tumor recurrence and survival was 80, 54, 80% and 70, 56, 70%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative serum placenta growth factor levels were higher in patients with colorectal cancer, were negatively correlated with the serum sFlt-1, and could be used as a prognostic indicator for recurrence and survival for colorectal cancer.
Wei
Shu-Chen
SC
Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. shuchenwei@ntu.edu.tw
Liang
Jin-Tung
JT
Tsao
Po-Nien
PN
Hsieh
Fon-Jou
FJ
Yu
Sen-Chang
SC
Wong
Jau-Min
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011379:Prognosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; C501162:FLT1 protein, human; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1