Plasma vascular endothelial but not fibroblast growth factor levels correlate with colorectal liver metastasis vascularity and volume

The extent to which plasma levels of angiogenic factors in healthy individu als and tumour volume-related variations in colorectal cancer affect the ac curacy of circulating angiogenic factors as predictors of colorectal cancer vascularity is unknown. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay to measu re plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast gr owth factor (bFGF) levels in colorectal liver metastasis (CLM) patients, an d 'no cancer' controls. CLM volume was determined from computerized tomogra phy scans, and tumour vessel count and vessel volume from anti-endothelial antibody-stained biopsies. There was a significant (P = 0.03) increase in p lasma VEGF level in 29 CLM patients (median 180.3 pg ml(-1), iqr 132.5-284. 8 pg ml(-1)) compared with 19 controls (median 125.8 pg ml(-1), iqr 58.2-23 5.9 pg ml(-1)). There were significant correlations between plasma VEGF and tumour vessel count (r = 0.66, P = 0.03), tumour vessel volume (r = 0.59, P = 0.03), and CLM volume (r = 0.53, P = 0,03). A VEGF level in the upper q uartile of the plasma VEGF distribution had a 70% sensitivity and 75% speci ficity in predicting an upper quartile liver metastasis tumour vessel count . No relation was identified between CLM and plasma bFGF levels. Plasma VEG F level predicted CLM vascularity, despite an overlap with normal levels an d tumour volume related variations. (C) 2000 Cancer Research Campaign.