Clinical significance of preoperative serum vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein level in colorectal cancer

BMC Cancer

Research Article

Jong Hoon Lee¹  Kyung A Kwon¹  Sung Hyun Kim¹  Hyo-Jin Kim¹  Sung Yong Oh¹  Suee Lee¹  Hyuk-Chan Kwon²  Ri Young Goh³  Jin-Yeong Han³  Kyeong Hee Kim³  Mee Sook Roh⁴  Ki Jae Park⁵  Hong Jo Choi⁵ 

[1] Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A university College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A university College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Medical Research Center for Cancer Molecular Therapy, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Department of Laboratory Medicine, Dong-A university College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Department of Pathology, Dong-A university College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Medical Research Center for Cancer Molecular Therapy, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;Department of Surgery, Dong-A university College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea;

关键词: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor;    Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression;    Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Level;    Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor;    Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Level;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2407-10-203

 received in 2009-12-14, accepted in 2010-05-14,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAngiogenesis is a multistep process in which many growth factors and cytokines have an essential role. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic agent that acts as a specific mitogen for vascular endothelial cells through specific cell surface receptors. The interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway is another mechanism linking angiogenesis to malignancy. C-reactive protein (CRP), a representative marker for inflammation, is known for its association with disease progression in many cancer types. The aim of this study was to determine preoperative serum levels of VEGF, IL-6, and CRP in colorectal carcinoma, and to correlate them with disease status and prognosis.MethodsA 132 of 143 patients who underwent curative resection for colorectal cancer were enrolled in this study. 11 patients with resection margin positive were excluded. Factors considered in analysis of the relationship between VEGF, IL-6, and CRP and histological findings. Patient prognosis was investigated. Serum levels of VEGF and IL-6 were assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA), and CRP was measured using immunoturbidimetry.ResultsMedian follow-up duration was 18.53 months (range 0.73-43.17 months) and median age of the patients was 62 years (range, 26-83 years). Mean and median levels of VEGF and CRP in colorectal cancer were significantly higher than in the normal control group; 608 vs. 334 pg/mL and 528 (range 122-3242) vs. 312 (range 16-1121) (p < 0.001); 1.05 mg/dL vs. 0.43 mg/dL and 0.22 (range 0.00-18.40) vs. 0.07 (range 0.02-6.94) (p = 0.002), respectively. However mean and median level of IL-6 in patients were not significantly higher than in control; 14.33 pg/mL vs. 5.65 pg/mL and 6.00 (range 1.02-139.17) vs. 5.30 (4.50-13.78) (p = 0.327). Although IL-6 and CRP levels were not correlated with other pathological findings, VEGF level was significantly correlated with tumor size (p = 0.012) and CEA (p = 0.038). When we established the cutoff value for VEGF (825 pg/mL), IL-6 (8.09 pg/mL), and CRP (0.51 mg/dL) by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, we noted that high VEGF levels tended to reduce overall survival (p = 0.053), but not significantly. However, IL-6 and CRP demonstrated no significance with regard to disease free survival (p = 0.531, p = 0.701, respectively) and overall survival (p = 0.563, p = 0.572, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that VEGF (p = 0.032), CEA (p = 0.012), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.002), and TNM stage (p = 0.025) were independently associated with overall survival.ConclusionsPreoperative serum VEGF and CRP level increased in colorectal cancer patients. High VEGF level has been proposed as a poor prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with colorectal cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Kwon et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010