Pleural effusion VEGF levels as a prognostic factor of malignant pleural mesothelioma.
BACKGROUND
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive malignant tumor of mesothelial origin associated with asbestos exposure. MPM has a limited response to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy so early diagnosis of MPM is very important. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent mitogen for the vascular endothelium, is also known to be an autocrine growth factor for MPM. Here, we investigated the pleural effusion VEGF levels in patients with MPM and compared them to those of a population with a non-malignant pleuritis or lung cancer involving malignant pleural effusion.


METHODS
The pleural effusion VEGF concentrations were measured in 46 MPM patients and 45 individuals with non-MPM individuals (25 individuals with non-malignant pleural effusions, and 20 individuals with lung cancer involving malignant pleural effusion).


RESULTS
We demonstrated that patients with MPM had significantly higher pleural effusion VEGF levels than a population with non-malignant pleuritis or lung cancer involving malignant pleural effusion, and the patients with advanced stage MPM showed higher levels of VEGF than the early stage MPM patients. The difference in overall survival between the groups with pleural effusion VEGF levels lower and higher than the assumed cut-off of 2000pg/ml was significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that the pleural effusion VEGF concentration could be useful as an aid for the diagnosis of MPM and as a prognostic factor.
Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663 8501, Japan.
Noriko
N
Hirayama
Chiharu
C
Tabata
Rie
R
Tabata
Risa
R
Maeda
Akihiro
A
Yasumitsu
Shusai
S
Yamada
Kozo
K
Kuribayashi
Kazuya
K
Fukuoka
Takashi
T
Nakano
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000378:metabolism*; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000032:analysis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A