Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and the relationship with the non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To study the relationship between the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)and clinical pathology-physiological characteristic in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.Methods The serum levels of VEGF were detected in 120 patients with NSCLC and 60 healthy persons by ELISA method.Results (1)The serum levels of VEGF in NSCLC patients were significantly higher than those healthy people(P0.01);(2)The serum levels of VEGF in NSCLC patients on the seventh postoperative day were significantly higher than that before operation and on the first postoperative day(P0.01),(3) The serum levels of VEGF in NSCLC patients were closely related to the size of the primary tumor,lymph node status and TNM stages ,but not to the grade of cell differentiation,type of tumor,age,and sex of the patients(P0.05). Conclusions Elevation of serum levels of VEGF exists in NSCLC patients and the levels of VEGF play an important role in tumor growth and lymphatic metastasis. The levels of VEGF may be predictors for prognosis.