Serum vascular endothelial growth factor is a predictor of invasion and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor progression is angiogenesis dependent, and vascular endothelial growt h factor (VEGF) is a key growth factor in this process, sVEGF concentration s in 44 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 5 with benign Live r lesions were determined with an enzyme-link immunoadsorbent assay system (ELISA). Reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out on surgical specimens of 51 patients with HCC. The relative levels of V EGF mRNA expression were measured by determining a ratio between PCR produc ts of VEGF and the endogeneous internal standard gene b-actin, UEA-1 was hi stochemically used to count microvascularity in tumor tissue. Elevated sVEG F concentrations were found in patients with HCC (172.84+/-111.75 pg/ml) as compared to individuals with benign liver lesions (95.74+/-36.20 pg/ml, P< .05). Of 44 cases with HCC, sVEGF concentrations in the patients with PV-em boli or with poor-encapsulated tumors were significantly higher than in tho se without PV-emboli or with well-encapsulated tumors (P<0.05). The express ion levels of VEGF mRNA in tumors with PV-emboli and in poor-encapsulated t umors were higher than in those without PV-emboli and in well-encapsulated tumors (P<0.05). Microvascular density in HCC tissues was significantly cor related with the expression levels of VEGF mRNA (P<0.01; r=0.7). Circulatin g VEGF was derived from HCC tissue. sVEGF concentrations could be a new mar ker for predicting the angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis of HCC.