Preoperative Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor as a predictor of malignant ovarian tumor

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Background: Effective biomarkers for accurate characterization of newly diagnosed ovarian tumors and adnexal masses are of paramount importance. The availability of an ideal serum marker is highly recommended. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be considered as a predictor of ovarian cancer. Objective: This study explored the efficacy of preoperative serum VEGF for detection of malignant ovarian tumor. Methods: This cross sectional analytical study was conducted among 86 patients who were enrolled for this study according to final histopathology report and who did not receive any kind of treatment. Serum levels of VEGF-A were determined by using ELISA method. ROC curve was plotted to achieve the best cutoff value of serum VEGF. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the VEGF distribution across sub-groups of patients. Result: A statistically significant difference in the levels of serum VEGF level was observed between benign and malignant ovarian tumor patients. Ovarian cancer patients had a higher preoperative median S. VEGF level of 753.8 pg/ml than that of benign ovarian masses (median 241.8 pg/ml; p value 0.001). The ability of serum VEGF to differentiate malignancy from benign masses at a cut-off value of 547.85 pg/ml gave a sensitivity of 90.1%, a specificity of 93.5%. Conclusion: This study revealed that preoperative serum VEGF may be used as a feasible vascular marker and predictor of malignant ovarian tumors. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2023; 49: 183-189