title: Clinical significance of vascular endothelial growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 gene polymorphisms in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or its family might play role in tumor-related angiogenesis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), thereby affecting the prognosis. Accordingly, the present study analyzed the impact of VEGF and VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) gene polymorphisms on the prognosis for GIST patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 213 consecutive patients with GIST from five medical centers were enrolled in the present study. The genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, and four VEGF (-2578C/A, -1498C/T, -634G/C, and +936C/T) and one VEGFR-2 (+1416A/T) gene polymorphisms were determined using a Sequenom MassARRAY system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a median follow up of 18.4 months, the estimated 5-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 70 and 87%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis including age, sex, primary site of disease, pathology and risk stratification, no significant association was observed between the polymorphism of the VEGF and VEGFR-2 genes and survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  None of the five VEGF and VEGFR-2 gene polymorphisms investigated in this study was found to be an independent prognostic marker for Korean patients with surgically resected GIST. However, further studies on a larger scale are warranted to clarify the role of VEGF and VEGFR gene polymorphisms as a prognostic biomarker for GIST patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea.
authors.forename: Byung Woog
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jong Gwang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yee Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Han Ik
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Ohkyoung
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Ho Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Wansik
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hong Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yu Na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Seung Wan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Kyung Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Joon Hyuk
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Se Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hun-Mo
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ryoo
authors.forename: Chang-Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hyun-Dong
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: Kyun Woo
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mi Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Byung-Jo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bae
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011379:Prognosis; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C000588866:KDR protein, human; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2
keywords: gastrointestinal stromal tumor; prognosis; single nucleotide polymorphism; vascular endothelial growth factor; vascular endothelial growth factor receptor