Vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum of patients with non-smallcell lung cancer: correlation with platelet and leukocyte counts

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogeni c peptide expressed in a wide variety of tumors, and it stimulates angiogen esis and increases vascular permeability. Increased expression of VEGF may be associated with advanced stage and poor prognosis in patients with non-s mall cell lung cancer NSCLC). Methods: Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent as say, the levels of VEGF were determined in serum from 41 patients with untr eated NSCLC (Stage: IIB, 3; IIIA, 6; IIIB, 17; IV, 15; Histology: squamous cell carcinoma, 18; adenocarcinoma. 14; undetermined, 9). Results: The medi an VEGF level was 312 pg/ml, ranging from 70 to 1440 pg/ml. Patients were d ivided into high VEGF ( > 312 pg/ml) and low VEGF (less than or equal to 31 2 pg/ml) groups using the median value as a cut-off. There were no signific ant associations between the serum VEGF levels and various clinicopathologi c characteristics including age, gender, histologic type, stage and treatme nt. A significant positive correlation was found between serum VEGF levels and platelet counts (r = 0.495; P = 0.001). In addition, serum VEGF levels also correlated with leukocyte counts (r = 0.478; P = 0.002). In seven pati ents with measurement of follow-up serum VEGF levels at the end of treatmen t (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy), the median serum VEGF level significa ntly decreased after the treatment (416 pg/ml; range, 96-812 pg/ml vs. 185 pg/mI; range, 49-487 pg/ml; P = 0.028). However, the median platelet count (317,000/mul; range, 190,000-395,000/ Ll vs. 246,000/mul; range, 72,000-271 ,000/mul; P = 0.028) and leukocyte count (10,000/mul; range, 8700-17,200/mu l vs. 5100/mul; range, 3900-9500/mul; P=0.018) also decreased after the tre atment. There was no statistically significant difference in the median sur vival of the patients between high VEGF group and low VEGF group (8 months vs. 9 months, P = 0.647). Conclusions: Although serum VEGF level was signif icantly associated with platelet and leukocyte counts in NSCLC patients, it did not correlate with tumor burden and prognosis of the patients. (C) 200 1 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.