Clinical significances of serum levels of VEGF and the relationship with IPI in the patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate clinical signifieances of serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and to analyze the relationships with international prognostic index (IPI). Methods Serum levels of VEGF were measured by ELISA in 26 cases with newly diagnosed DLBCL and 9 cases with relapsed DLBCL. The clinical data of 26 patients were collected. According to the IPI, 26 patients were divided into two group: low risk group (IPI＜2) and moderate to high risk group (IPI≥2). Results Compared with the normal controls, newly diagnosed and relapsed DLBCL had significantly higher VEGF serum levels (P ＜0.01). In the patients responding to CHOP or RCHOP regimen a significantly decrease in VEGF serum levels occurred, while in the patients who did not achieve complete remission(CR) there was no significant decrease. Furthermore, pretreatment serum levels of VEGF were significantly lower in CR group than in partial remission (PR) and no remission (NR) group. In addition, serum levels of VEGF were significantly elevated in the high risk group than those at the low risk group(P＜0.01). Conclusion The serum levels of angiogenic factor VEGF are related to the development and progression of DLBCL. The VEGF combined with IPI can be used for evaluating the prognosis of DLBCL. Key words: Lymphoma, large-cell, diffuse; VEGF; International prognostic index