Significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor in nonsmallcell lung carcinoma

Objective To determine the level of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and to elucidate their significance Methods Serum VEGF was measured by sandwich enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) in 123 patients with NSCLC and 34 healthy individuals Results Serum VEGF level in NSCLC (153±12 1) pg/ml was significantly elevated as compared with those of the normal controls (32±27 2)pg/ml( P =0 000) No correlation was found between serum VEGF and gender ( P =0 683) or age ( P =0 681) or histological type Serum VEGF was significantly higher in patients with distant metastasis or definite carcinoma focus than those without ( P =0 003 and 0 005) Patients who showed response to chemotherapy had significantly less serum VEGF than those who were nonresponders ( P =0 006) Conclusion Serum VEGF level is associated with tumor burden, therapeutic effectiveness, tumor relapse and metastasis, and prognosis in patients with NSCLC