Serum vascular endothelial growth factor-C and vascular endothelial growth factor level in patients with colorectal carcinoma and clinical significance

Abstract

Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in patients with colorectal carcinoma were determined in order to assess their clinical significance as a diagnostic tool for monitoring lymph node metastasis. In 66 patients with colorectal carcinoma and 30 healthy controls, circulating VEGF-C and VEGF levels were assessed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum VEGF-C and VEGF levels were higher in patients with colorectal carcinoma than in healthy controls. Patients with lymph node metastasis had higher serum VEGF-C and VEGF levels than those without lymph node metastasis. The levels of VEGF-C and VEGF were higher in the invasion group than in the non-invasion group. Serum VEGF-C levels reached a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 76% with a cutoff value of 1438.0 pg/mL, whereas VEGF levels reached 72% sensitivity and 74% specificity at 240.2 pg/ mL If 66 patients were divided into 4 groups according to the combined determination of VEGF-C and VEGF levels, the positive predictive value was 85.3%, the negative predictive value was 94.6% and accuracy was 93.7%. It was suggested that circulating VEGF-C levels might provide additional information for distinguishing the absence from presence of lymph node metastasis in patients with colorectal carcinoma. The combined determination of VEGF-C and VEGF levels could be used as an important index for preoperatively clinical stage of colorectal carcinoma.

Keywords

colorectal carcinoma / vascular endothelial growth factor C / vascular endothelial growth factor / lymph node metastasis / enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

References

[1] XuT W, ChenD D, ChenJ Y. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor C and its correlation with lymph node metastasis in colorectal carcinoma. J Huazhong Univ Sci Technol [Med Sci], 2004, 24: 596-598

[2] KaioE, TanakaS, KitadaiY, et al.. Clinical significance of angiogenic factor expression at the deepest invasive site of advanced colorectal carcinoma. Oncology, 2003, 64(1): 61-73

[3] OhtaY, TamuraM, et al.. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor-C level in patients with primary nonsmall cell lung carcinoma—A possible diagnostic tool for lymph node metastasis. Cancer, 2003, 98: 1217-1222

[4] LongZ Q, LiJ. Study of serum vascular endothelial growth factor-C level in patients with primary human esophageal squamous cell carcinomas—A possible marker of lymph node metastasis. China J Modern Med., 2005, 15(19): 2885-2888

[5] AmilkaT, KitadaiY, TanakaS, et al.. Vascular endothelial growth factor C expression predicts lymph node metastasis of human gastric carcinomas invading the submucosa. Eur J Cancer, 2002, 38: 1413-1419

[6] TilleJ C, NisatoR, PepperM S. Lymphangiogenesis and tumor metastasis. Novartis Found Symp, 2004, 256: 112-131