title: VEGF in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a primary driving force for both physiological and pathological angiogenesis and over-expression of VEGF has been detected in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to clarify the usefulness of VEGF for monitoring the response to intra-arterial chemotherapy in patients with HCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and advanced HCC (aHCC) received hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC: leucovorin (LV) at 12 mg/h, cisplatin (CDDP) at 10 mg/h and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) at 250 mg/22 h) via the proper hepatic artery every 5 days for 4 weeks using a catheter connected to a subcutaneous drug delivery system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  i) Serum VEGF levels were higher in patients with progressive disease than those in patients with a partial response or stable disease. ii) VEGF levels were higher in patients with alcoholic LC than those in patients with hepatitis C-related or hepatitis B-related LC. iii) VEGF levels were higher in stage IVB patients than those in patients with stage III or IVA disease. iv) VEGF levels were significantly higher in patients with giant or confluent multinodular tumors than those in patients with multiple discrete nodules. v) Serum VEGF levels were higher in patients with vascular invasion than in patients without vascular invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Monitoring the serum VEGF level is useful for predicting the response of aHCC to HAIC, as well as for predicting metastasis, tumor type and vascular invasion.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Daigo
authors: D
authors: Matsui
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan hidenari@aol.com.
authors: Hidenari
authors: H
authors: Nagai
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Takanori
authors: T
authors: Mukozu
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Y U
authors: YU
authors: Ogino
authors: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine (Omori), School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Yasukiyo
authors: Y
authors: Sumino
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D002955:Leucovorin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D002945:Cisplatin; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil
keywords: VEGF; advanced HCC; intra-arterial chemotherapy; liver cirrhosis