title: Pretreatment levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in plasma predict a complete remission rate and time to relapse or progression in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
abstract: The aim of this study was to verify whether pretreatment plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) correlate with prognosis and survival of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Plasma VEGF levels were assessed at the time of diagnosis in 157 DLBCL patients treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Plasma VEGF levels greater than or equal to the highest quartile (high VEGF levels) were associated with lower probability of a complete remission achievement (odds ratio 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.1-0.6; p = 0.002) in univariate as well as in multivariate analysis (p = 0.04). The estimated 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of patients with high VEGF levels was 31.7% (95% CI 17-51) compared to the 62.5% 3-year PFS rate (95% CI 53-71; p = 0.0004) in the patients with lower values. The former group of patients demonstrated an estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) rate of 47.1% (95% CI 30-65) in contrast to the 3-year OS rate of 64.3% (95% CI 54-73; p = 0.02) in the latter. In multivariate analysis, the high VEGF level retained its independent impact on shorter PFS (p = 0.02). Our results suggest that VEGF plays an important role in the clinical course of DLBCL. VEGF may be a useful marker for selecting the patients for whom new treatment approaches, especially those based on VEGF inhibitors, could be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Equipe d'Accueil Pathologie des Cellules Lymphoïdes, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France. ewamaranda@wp.pl
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lech-Maranda
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bienvenu
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Broussais-Guillaumot
authors.forename: Anne-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Michallet
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Warzocha
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biliński
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coiffier
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salles
mesh_terms: D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D054316:Biomarkers, Pharmacological / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012074:Remission Induction; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D054316:Biomarkers, Pharmacological; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A