Significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor in non-small cell lung cancer

Objective To explore the role and significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods Serum VEGF was determined by sandwich enzyme linked immuno-adsorbent assay(ELISA) in 69 patients with NSCLC and 20 healthy individuals.Results Serum VEGF level in NSCLC(156.3±17.2)pg/ml was significantly elevated as compared with that in the controls(46.6±19.3)pg/ml(P=0.000 0).No correlation was found between serum VEGF and gender,age,tumor size or the first-again treatment(P0.05).VEGF in squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than that in adenocarcinoma(P=0.029 7),and serum VEGF was significantly higher in patients with distant metastasis than those without(P=0.000 0).Serum VEGF level was closely related to the number of peripheral blood leukocytes,neutrophils and platelets(R=0.524,0.634 and 0.728).The level of VEGF was significantly elevated before radiotherapy,right after and after radiotherapy in the SD+PD group compared with the CR+PR group.Conclusion Serum VEGF level is associated with tumor burden,tumor relapse and metastasis,and therapeutic effectiveness in patients with NSCLC.