title: Association of the serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels with benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate malignancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, the development of new biomarkers as prognostic and predictive markers in prostate cancer has been crucial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was aimed to determine whether serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels would be a prognostic marker or risk assessment factor in patients with prostate cancer and to investigate whether it could differentiate cancerous tissue from benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled 44 patients with prostate cancer, 57 patients with BPH, and 57 healthy individuals. Serum VEGF levels was measured by ELISA and was compared among all groups; then, its correlation with PSA and Gleason score in cancerous group was assessed. In addition, by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under curve (AUC), we determined the sensitivity and specificity of VEGF as well as combined variable of VEGF and PSA as a diagnostic marker of prostate cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum VEGF level was significantly higher in patients with prostate cancer in comparison to the other groups (P value < 0.001); however, it was not different between BPH and control groups. Only in cancerous group a significant correlation between VEGF and PSA was found (r = 0.425, P = 0.004). Assessing the risk of prostate cancer, we found a powerful correlation between the VEGF alone as well as the combination of VEGF and PSA with prostate cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VEGF may be a diagnostic biomarker of prostate cancer. In addition, it may differentiate the cancerous tissue from BPH. We suggest that VEGF combined with PSA may be used as a screening test of prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sharif
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Amirreza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaabani
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nikoueinejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akbari
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Einollahi
keywords: BPH; Prostatic Neoplasms; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A