title: Paraneoplastic symptoms: cachexia, polycythemia, and hypercalcemia are, respectively, related to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in renal clear cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether there is a relation between expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and any of the paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 667 patients with ccRCC and at least one PNS were included. Thorough history taking, physical examinations, and laboratory tests were used to diagnose PNS. Immunohistochemistry was performed for VEGF evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 10 different PNS identified in the population. Sixty patients had a single paraneoplastic presentation. In all patients, presence of cachexia (n = 267, P < 0.0001), polycythemia (n = 40, P = 0.0014), and hypercalcemia (n = 48, P = 0.0006) was correlated to VEGF expression. Correlation was neither acquired in Stauffer's syndrome, pyrexia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anemia, thrombocytosis, hypertension, neuromyopathy nor obtained within patients with single PNS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Relations between PNS and VEGF expression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been studied yet. The results we gained hereby can help us further understand the mechanistic of PNS in RCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Guan-xiong
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Chen-chen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Ning-hong
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Zu-jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Guo-wei
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Hao-wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Li-xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002100:Cachexia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006934:Hypercalcemia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D011086:Polycythemia / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A