Elevation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor in male patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most potent angiogenic factor identified to date. The authors investigated the correlation between the levels of serum VEGF (S-VEGF) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and disease progression. The sera from 65 male patients with nonmetastatic NPC, 22 male patients with metastatic NPC, and 27 healthy male volunteers were obtained. A quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure the concentrations of S-VEGF in the sera. The mean S-VEGF levels were 371.0 pg/mL(-1) (range, 128.5-691.1 pg/mL(-1)) for healthy controls, 375.6 pg/mL(-1) (range, 72.9-1202.5 pg/mL(-1)) for patients with nonmetastatic NPC, and 958.6 pg/mL(-1) (range, 264.4-3744.9 pg/mL(-1)) for patients with metastatic NPC. The mean S-VEGF level in patients with metastatic NPC was significantly higher than in either patients with nonmetastatic NPC (P < 0.001) or healthy controls (P < 0.001). However, there was no statistical difference between these results for healthy controls and patients with nonmetastatic NPC. At the level of 900 pg/mL(-1), S-VEGF indicated distant dissemination of NPC with a specificity of 95.4%, a sensitivity of 31.8%, a positive predictive value of 70.0%, and a negative predictive value of 80.5%. No significant differences in the levels of S-VEGF were found among various T classifications, N classifications, and clinical stages of nonmetastatic NPC. The levels of S-VEGF were significantly elevated in male patients with metastatic NPC. These levels did not correlate with locoregional progression of NPC. The usefulness of detecting S-VEGF in the early diagnosis of NPC appears to be limited.