Serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor in vulvar cancer

The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum concentrations of vascul ar endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with vulvar cancer and heal thy female controls with respect to correlation of VEGF with clinicopatholo gical parameters and impact on the patients' prognosis. Serum concentration s of VEGF were measured using a commercially available ELISA, Results were correlated to clinical data. Median serum concentrations of VEGF in patient s with vulvar cancer (n = 41) and healthy female controls (n = 130) were 26 0 (range, 33-1216) pg/ml and 216 (range, 0-777) pg/ml, respectively (Mann-W hitney U test, P = 0.048). Serum concentrations of VEGF significantly corre lated with tumor stage (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.02) but not with histolo gical grade (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.2). In a univariate analysis, eleva ted pretreatment serum concentrations of VEGF were significantly correlated with a shortened disease-free and overall survival (Wilcoxon test, P = 0.0 3; and Wilcoxon test, P = 0.04, respectively). A multivariate Cox regressio n model considering tumor stage and serum concentrations of VEGF revealed, however, that serum concentrations of VEGF did not confer additional progno stic information to that already obtained by the established prognosticator tumor stage (multivariate Cox regression model: P = 0.9 and P = 0.8, respe ctively), Our data indicate that angiogenesis, as reflected by serum concen trations of VEGF, plays a functional role in vulvar carcinogenesis. VEGF se ems to be a mediator of vulvar tumor growth but not of tumor cell dediffere ntiation, Although associated with impaired disease-free and overall surviv al, pretreatment serum concentrations of VEGF are not an independent predic tor of outcome In patients with vulvar cancer.