Shivakumar S, Prabhakar B T, Jayashree K, Rajan M G R, Salimath Bharathi P
Department of Applied Botany and Biotechnology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore, Karnataka, 570 006, India.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2009 Apr;135(4):627-36. doi: 10.1007/s00432-008-0497-9. Epub 2008 Oct 21.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic peptide. A great deal of interest has been paid to the predictive value of neoangiogenesis represented by microvessel density (MVD), on clinical progression and prognosis of several types of tumors. Serum VEGF levels may therefore be clinically useful for the prediction of increase in tumor growth, metastasis or recurrence spread in individual patients.
A total of 265 cases of breast lesions were studied to note the importance of Serum VEGF as a prognostic marker in cases of breast carcinoma. The expressed serum VEGF levels and microvessel density (MVD) were assessed quantitatively and were correlated with tumor grade, tumor necrosis, stromal reaction and nodal metastasis.
Serum VEGF was increased in patients with lesions of breast and the levels of serum VEGF in malignant lesions were significantly increased when compared to benign lesions. It was also noted that the levels of serum VEGF increased with increasing grades of malignancy. MVD showed a significant correlation in the early stages of the malignant tumors, where there was no necrosis, but in tumors associated with necrosis and hemorrhage MVD failed to show significant correlation.
Hence, serum vascular endothelial growth factor can be used as a more reliable, non-invasive adjunctive diagnostic criteria in the assessment of the grade and hence, the prognosis of malignant tumors of the breast.
血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）是一种强效血管生成肽。微血管密度（MVD）所代表的新生血管生成对几种肿瘤的临床进展和预后的预测价值已受到广泛关注。因此，血清VEGF水平在临床上可能有助于预测个体患者肿瘤生长、转移或复发扩散的增加。
共研究了265例乳腺病变病例，以探讨血清VEGF作为乳腺癌预后标志物的重要性。对血清VEGF表达水平和微血管密度（MVD）进行定量评估，并与肿瘤分级、肿瘤坏死、间质反应和淋巴结转移进行相关性分析。
乳腺病变患者血清VEGF升高，恶性病变患者血清VEGF水平与良性病变相比显著升高。还发现血清VEGF水平随恶性程度增加而升高。MVD在无坏死的恶性肿瘤早期显示出显著相关性，但在伴有坏死和出血的肿瘤中MVD未显示出显著相关性。
因此，血清血管内皮生长因子可作为一种更可靠的非侵入性辅助诊断标准，用于评估乳腺恶性肿瘤的分级及预后。
