title: [Diagnostic performance and clinical correlation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical correlation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 104 patients with POEMS syndrome who diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital during October 2010 to April 2014 in the current study. Clinical data and serum samples were collected. Serum VEGF levels were measured, comparing to both disease and healthy controls, and its correlation with clinical features were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome showed markedly elevated levels of serum VEGF (median 3503 ng/L, P<0.01). A cut-off value of 1 200 ng/L had a specificity of 90.2%, with a sensitivity of 83.7%, in support of a POEMS diagnosis. Further analyses indicated that patients with higher serum VEGF level (>2 000 ng/L) had more prevalent osteosclerosis (61.0% vs 37.0%, P=0.031) and papilledema (70.1% vs 44.4%, P=0.017).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum VEGF level was useful in differentiating POEMS syndrome from other disorders with overlapping clinical presentations, and its levels correlated with several disease features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Xinxin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Minghui
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Tianjiao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Daobin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D016878:POEMS Syndrome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
chemical_list: C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A