Clinical significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with multiple myeloma

Abstract

This study was purposed to investigate the relation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels with clinical types and therapeutic efficacy of multiple myeloma (MM), and to analyze the significance of VEGF in MM. The levels of serum VEGF were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique in 76 patients with MM. The relationship between the serum VEGF levels with MM patients' age, stages, types, and efficacy were analyzed. The results showed that the patients who were less than 65 years old had higher serum VEGF levels than elder patients, however, the difference between them had no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The VEGF level was the highest in IgG type patients, and then in light chain type, lowest in IgA type, however there were no statistical differences between them (P > 0.05). Patients of DS stage III had higher VEGF level than that of stage II, and there was also no statistical difference (P > 0.25). Patients of ISS stage I had lower VEGF level than that of stage II and III, and it also showed no statistical difference (P > 0.05). After treatment, patients obtained complete remission (CR) or very good partial remission (VGPR) had decrease of serum VEGF level, however, patients obtained less than partial remission (PR) had increase of serum VEGF level. Patients were divided into two groups according serum VEGF level ( ≤ 150 ng/L), patients with high VEGF levels had short overall survival time, there was statistical difference (P = 0.03). It is concluded that the serum VEGF level of MM patients dose not relate with age, clinical stages and M protein types; however, there was a certain association between overall survival and serum VEGF level, and the later may be one of poor prognostic factors.