Relación entre los niveles séricos del factor de crecimiento endotelial-vascular C, la afectación ganglionar axilar y la sobrevida libre de enfermedad en pacientes con cáncer de mama operable sometidas a biopsia selectiva del ganglio centinela

Abstract

ObjectivesTo investigate the association between serum levels of vascular-endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and axillary node involvement. Material and methodsWe performed a prospective study and subsequent analysis of 174 patients with early-stage breast cancer who had undergone sentinel node biopsy (SNB). ResultsThe mean VEGF-C plasma concentration was 6561.5 pg/ml. No association was found between VEGF-C plasma concentration and axillary node involvement in SNB (p=0.626). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, serum VEGF-C levels were not predictive of node involvement. The median interval to recurrence or last follow-up was 51 months (mean, 49 months), with a maximum of 80 months (25th percentile: 42 months, 75th percentile, 62 months). A reduction of 1000 points in serum VEGF-C levels (1k) increased instant risk, with HR 1.357 (95%CI: 1.004-1.838). This increased risk was 35% for each 1000-point decrease in serum levels, demonstrated in the Kaplan-Meier analysis. ConclusionsSerum VEGF-C levels are not related to risk of node involvement in early-stage breast cancer and, therefore, cannot be used to predict the presence of node involvement in SNB. Patients with serum VEGF-C levels above the mean have a lower risk of recurrence in the first 4 years of follow-up than those with levels below the mean. This difference was statistically significant in the multivariate analysis and consequently deserves confirmation in future studies designed specifically for this aim.