Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) serum concentration changes during chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important angiogenic factors. This study aimed at clarifying the clinical significance of the changes in the serum VEGF (S-VEGF) concentrations in patients with lung cancer during anticancer chemotherapy. Subjects comprised 29 patients with lung cancer (13 adenocarcinomas, 7 squamous cell carcinomas, and 9 small cell carcinomas) who were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. S-VEGF was measured by ELISA. We compared the S-VEGF concentrations between the responders and nonresponders to anticancer chemotherapy. S-VEGF concentrations before treatment of the chemotherapy (pretreatment S-VEGF concentrations) were correlated with the number of WBC, neutrophil count, monocyte count and platelet count but not the lymphocyte count. The mean pretreatment S-VEGF concentrations in responders and those in nonresponders were not significantly different, 509.7 pg/ml in the former and 382.8 pg/ml in the latter, respectively. The S-VEGF concentrations in the responders decreased to a mean of 356.0 pg/ml and 304.1 pg/ml during and at the end of therapy, respectively while those in the nonresponders increased to a mean of 474.2 pg/ml and 598.4 pg/ml during and at the end of therapy. The S-VEGF concentration changes in the responders were significantly different from those in the nonresponders (p=.006). The S-VEGF concentration may relate to tumor burden, however it may not be a good marker for tumor burden, because it can be influenced by various factors such as neutrophil which increases during infection. A decrease in S-VEGF concentrations may improve neoangiogenesis and the immune response, and may correlate with improvements in the quality of life and survival of patients.