title: Decreased serum vascular endothelial growth factor-D levels in metastatic patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) has been identified as one of the lymphangiogenic growth factors involved in metastatic diffusion. The aim of this study is to evaluate the serum VEGF-D levels in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer at different conditions of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied prospectively the VEGF-D plasma levels in 96 subjects affected by differentiated thyroid cancer. The patients were divided into three groups according to the clinical and biochemical findings: patients with no evidence of disease (Cured), patients with pathological (>1 ng/ml) stimulated thyroglobulin (Tg) (Path-Tg/rhTSH) levels only after rhTSH and patients with elevated basal Tg levels (Path-Tg/LT4).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum VEGF-D concentrations in patients of group Cured were not different from the controls, while group Path-Tg/rhTSH showed baseline serum VEGF-D levels significantly lower than group Cured and controls (P < 0·001 and P < 0·01, respectively). Moreover, the patients of group Path-Tg/LT4 showed median serum cytokine concentrations at baseline not significantly different from the patients of group Path-Tg/rhTSH. The rhTSH stimulation did not modify the difference in serum VEGF-D levels in patients of group Cured and group Path-Tg/rhTSH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data demonstrate that the VEGF-D serum levels are reduced in patients with metastases of differentiated thyroid cancer, regardless of the degree of metastatic spread. It is possible that some other molecule produced by the tumoral tissue could affect the VEGF-D physiologically produced of from different tissues, thus conducting to a decrease in the VEGF-D found in blood of patients with evidence of metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine F. Magrassi and A. Lanzara, Second University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nersita
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matrone
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klain
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scavuzzo
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vitolo
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abbondanza
authors.forename: Maria V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Carlino
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giacco
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carella
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin