title: [Prognostic significance of cellular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the course of chronic myeloid leukaemia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased angiogenesis in bone marrow is one of the characteristics of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a clonal myeloproliferative disorder that expresses a chimeric bcr/abl protein. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most potent and a specific regulator of angiogenesis which principally targets endothelial cells and regulates several of their functions, including mitogenesis, permeability and migration. The impact of elevated VEGF expression on the course of chronic myeloid leukaemia is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was the follow-up of VEGF expression during the course of CML.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied VEGF expression of 85 CML patients (median age 50 years, range 16-75 years). At the commencement of the study, 29 patients were in chronic phase (CP), 25 in an accelerated phase (AP), and 31 in the blast crisis (BC). The temporal expression (percentage positivity per 1000 analysed cells) VEGF proteins over the course of CML were studied using the immunohistochemical technique utilizing relevant monoclonal antibodies. It was correlated with the laboratory (Hb, WBC and platelet counts, and the percentage of blasts) and clinical parameters (organomegaly, duration of CP, AP, and BC) of disease progression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expression ofVEGF protein was most pronounced in AP (ANOVA, p=0.033). The level of VEGF expression correlated inversely with the degree of splenomegaly (Pearson, r=-0.400, p=0.011). High expression of VEGF correlated with a shorter overall survival (log rank, p=0.042).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immunohistochemically confirmed significance of the expression of VEGF in dependence of the CML stage could be of clinical importance in deciding on the timing therapy. These data suggest that VEGF plays a role in the biology of CML and that VEGF inhibitors should be investigated in CML.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vidović
authors.forename: Gradimir
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Janković
authors.forename: Dragica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tomin
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perunicić-Jovanović
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Djunić
authors.forename: Vladislava
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Djurasinović
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colović
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A