Broll R, Erdmann H, Duchrow M, Oevermann E, Schwandner O, Markert U, Bruch H P, Windhövel U
Surgical Research Laboratory, University Clinic Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Luebeck, Germany.
Eur J Surg Oncol. 2001 Feb;27(1):37-42. doi: 10.1053/ejso.2000.1052.
Neo-angiogenesis, of great importance for tumour growth and nutrition, is preferentially mediated by the cytokine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which has a direct effect on vascular endothelial cell proliferation and migration. This study was designed to clarify whether VEGF is a suitable tumour marker in sera of patients with a colorectal cancer, and whether VEGF concentrations in sera and tumour tissues are correlated with tumour extension (pTNM) and especially with tumour volume or size. Furthermore, the influence of VEGF levels on patients >> prognosis was examined.
VEGF serum concentrations of 122 patients with colorectal cancer and 65 controls were determined with an ELISA kit. Additionally, VEGF concentrations of tumour and normal tissue were measured in 38 patients using the same ELISA.
Our results demonstrate that VEGF is not a suitable diagnostic tumour marker in patients with colorectal cancer due to its low sensitivity (36%). However, a combination of the serum tumour markers CEA and VEGF can significantly increase the pre-operative diagnostic sensitivity to 62%. VEGF serum levels differed significantly between patients (mean 438 pg/ml) and controls (mean 203 pg/ml), and also between tumour and normal tissue (984 vs 89 pg/mg protein). Serum concentration showed a significant correlation to tumour volume and size. Patients with VEGF serum levels greater than cut-off had a poorer prognosis than those less than or equal to cut-off. For this reason VEGF could be used as a predictor of patients >> outcome.
新生血管生成对肿瘤生长和营养供应至关重要，主要由细胞因子血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）介导，其对血管内皮细胞的增殖和迁移有直接作用。本研究旨在明确VEGF是否为结直肠癌患者血清中合适的肿瘤标志物，以及血清和肿瘤组织中的VEGF浓度是否与肿瘤分期（pTNM）相关，特别是与肿瘤体积或大小相关。此外，还研究了VEGF水平对患者预后的影响。
使用ELISA试剂盒测定122例结直肠癌患者和65例对照者的VEGF血清浓度。另外，对38例患者的肿瘤组织和正常组织中的VEGF浓度进行了相同ELISA法测定。
我们的结果表明，由于VEGF敏感性较低（36%），它不是结直肠癌患者合适的诊断肿瘤标志物。然而，血清肿瘤标志物CEA和VEGF联合使用可将术前诊断敏感性显著提高至62%。患者（平均438 pg/ml）与对照者（平均203 pg/ml）之间以及肿瘤组织与正常组织之间（984 vs 89 pg/mg蛋白）的VEGF血清水平存在显著差异。血清浓度与肿瘤体积和大小显著相关。VEGF血清水平高于临界值的患者预后比低于或等于临界值的患者差。因此，VEGF可作为患者预后的预测指标。
