Prospective validation of the prognostic value of elevated serum vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: more distant metastases and shorter overall survival after treatment.

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the prognostic value of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (sVEGF) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

METHODS

sVEGF was prospectively detected in 306 patients with NPC with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before treatment. The correlations between sVEGF and the survival of these patients were evaluated.

RESULTS

Patients were followed for at least 36 months. The mean sVEGF was 387.0 ng/L. sVEGF showed no difference in sex, age, and local recurrence. However, sVEGF was positively associated with histology, TNM classification, distant metastasis, and overall survival (OS; p < .05). The 4-year OS and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of the high-sVEGF versus low-sVEGF groups were 68% versus 86% and 70% versus 89%, respectively (p < .05). Stratified analysis showed that patients with stage IV(a,b) , T(4) , N(1) , or N(positive) disease with high VEGF levels had worse 4-year OS and 4-year DMFS than those with low VEGF levels (p < .05). Multifactorial Cox regression confirmed sVEGF was among the independent prognostic factors.

CONCLUSION

Elevation of sVEGF in patients with NPC predicts more posttreatment distant metastases and shorter OS and can be used as an independent poor prognostic indicator.