Importance of serum VEGF and basic FGF levels in determining response to treatment and survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Abstract

e21050 Background: Colorectal cancer has an important place in worldwide death from cancer causes. Angiogenesis, in which angiogenic factors such as VEGF and basic FGF have a key role, is an important factor in patient survival with respect to progression and metastatic spreading in colorectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine that whether serum VEGF and bFGF pre- and post-treatment serum levels are decisive in evaluating response to treatment and progression in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with FOLFIRI-bevacizumab. Methods: In 33 mCRC patients treated in our department serum VEGF and bFGF levels were monitored in the beginning of treatment and until progression during FOLFIRI-bevacizumab treatment before 4.-, 8.- and 12.-regimens. Serum levels of VEGF and bFGF were assssed using the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique. Results: In our study serumVEGF and bFGF levels were significantly higher than the healthy controls (p<0.001). We found that the patients with pre-treatment high serum bFGF levels have significantly short PFS and with pre-treatment high serum LDH levels have significantly short overall survival (OS). In patients with pre-treatment low serum VEGF value (< 147.79 pg/ml) had significantly longer OS (27.93 vs 23.27 mounts, P:0.026) in metastatic rectum cancer. In multivariate analysis were found to be prognostic factors VEGF levels and side of tumor for PFS and VEGF levels and whether to be operated of tumor for OS. Conclusions: Serum VEGF level was detected to be one of the factors that determine PFS and OS in mCRC. Pretreatment serum bFGF levels were determined PFS and monitorization of serum bFGF during treatment was found to be releated to response to treatment. Pretreatment serum LDH level was detected to determine OS in metastatic CRC. Although there was no statistical significance, in mCRC patients, whose pretreatment serum VEGF were high, PSK was longer with bevacizumab treatment. The important of pretreatment high serum VEGF level to select for treatment of bevacizumab will be planed in metastatic CRC requires to be confirmed in comprehensive, prospective studies.