Adverse prognostic impact of vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in angiogenesis and progression of cancer and its expression was associated with gene polymorphisms. Since the impact of polymorphisms of the VEGF on non-Hodgkin lymphoma prognosis has not been fully elucidated, we investigated 149 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) at the National Cancer Center, Korea. Five polymorphisms were analyzed with clinical characteristics as well as international prognostic index (IPI). Hazard ratios (HRs) were determined for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The rs1570360 polymorphism exhibited a genotype frequency of GG (76%), GA (20%), and AA (4%), and it was significantly associated with poor prognosis in DCBCL patients treated with R-CHOP with HR of 2.44 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-4.63; p = .0064]. These findings suggest VEGF polymorphisms might be significant prognostic indicators for DLBCL treated by R-CHOP.