Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in the Serum of Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Here we present the results of comparative immunoenzyme assay of the initial serum levels of VEGF in breast cancer patients (stages T1N0M0 and T2N0M0) and apparently healthy women (controls). It was found that VEGF concentrations in the serum of patients with breast cancer stages T1N0M0 and T2N0M0 significantly surpassed the control levels. Increased levels of VEGF surpassing the threshold values were more often observed in patients with T2N0M0 breast cancer compared to patients with T1N0M0 tumor. At the same time, this marker cannot be used in the diagnostics of this disease because in only 21.4% patients serum level of VEGF surpassed the upper boundary for this growth factor observed in the serum of control women. Serum concentration of VEGF in patients with stages T1N0M0 and T2N0M0 breast cancer did not depend on patient's age and reproductive function and receptor status of the primary tumor (estrogen and progesterone receptors), but was closely associated with tumor histogenesis and differentiation degree. Significantly higher levels of VEGF were observed in patients with lobular infiltrative breast carcinoma compared to patients with ductal tumors and in patients with low-differentiated tumors compared to highly and moderately differentiated tumors. High initial concentrations of VEGF (>300 pg/ml) were more often detected in patients with T2N0M0 breast cancer developing relapses within the first 3 years of follow-up compared to patients without relapses during the corresponding period (p=0.001). These findings suggest that serum level of VEGF in patients with T2N0M0 breast cancer before treatment can be used as an additional marker in parallel with standard clinical and morphological signs of the disease for more precise prognosis of early relapse (during the first 3 years of follow-up).

3'-UTR polymorphism (rs10434) in the VEGF gene is associated with B-CLL in a Chinese population

“…Breast and gynecologic cancer are among the best-known malignancies involving lymphangiogenesis, which is the recruitment of blood and lymphatic vessels, to a growing tumor (Schoppmann et al, 2002). This has been confirmed by previous studies demonstrating that VEGF plays an important role in the development of breast (Berezov et al, 2009), reproductive organ (Mazurek et al, 2004;Dobrzycka et al, 2011;Piastowska-Ciesielska et al, 2012), and ovarian cancer (Hefler et al, 2006;Sadłecki et al, 2011), as well as lung (Carrillo-de Santa Pau et al, 2010), colon (Bunger, 2011), and gastric (Hălmaciu et al, 2012) cancer.…”

Plasma levels and diagnostic utility of VEGF, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in the diagnosis of patients with breast cancer

“…According to the studied literature, high serum or plasma levels of VEGF, MMP-9, or TIMP-1 have been observed, for example, in patients with endometrial cancer, 38 , 44 – 47 ovarian cancer, 48 – 50 and BC. 12 , 18 , 21 , 24 , 51 , 52 …”

The plasma concentration of VEGF, HE4 and CA125 as a new biomarkers panel in different stages and sub-types of epithelial ovarian tumors

“…Similar results were confirmed by different authors [42], though they observed the highest concentrations of VEGF-C in more advanced stages and various sub-types of OC were enrolled in the study ( serous-papillary , mucinous , endometrioid , clear cell ). Interestingly, it was found that VEGF concentrations in serum significantly surpassed the control level in breast cancer patients (stages I-II) [23]. Others found circulating concentrations of HE4 and CA125 significantly higher in patients with stage IA-IIB compared with healthy women, though more than four sub-types of ovarian cancer were included in the investigation and there was different the ethnical characteristics of the population selected [36].…”

“…Breast and gynecologic cancer are among the best known malignancies that use lymphangiogenesis, the recruitment of blood and lymphatic vessels, to a growing tumor [22]. It was confirmed by other studies that VEGF plays an important role in the development of breast [23], reproductive organ [24-26] and ovarian cancer [27,28] as well as lung [29], colon [30], and gastric [31] cancer.…”