Changes in the circulating plasma levels of VEGF and VEGF-D after adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer and 1 to 3 positive lymph nodes
Sherko Kümmel, Holm Eggemann, Diana Lüftner, Anke Thomas, Sophia Jeschke, Nadine Zerfel, Volker Heilmann, Günter Emons, Tobias Zeiser, Kurt Ulm, Michael Kobl, Susanne Korlach, Peter Schmid, Jalid Sehouli, Dirk Elling, Jens-Uwe Blohmer, Sherko Kümmel, Holm Eggemann, Diana Lüftner, Anke Thomas, Sophia Jeschke, Nadine Zerfel, Volker Heilmann, Günter Emons, Tobias Zeiser, Kurt Ulm, Michael Kobl, Susanne Korlach, Peter Schmid, Jalid Sehouli, Dirk Elling, Jens-Uwe Blohmer
Abstract
Background: The goal of the present study was to investigate the changes in concentration of the important lymph-angiogenesis factors vascular endothelium-derived growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-D under adjuvant chemotherapy.
Materials and methods: The blood plasma of a total of 142 patients with breast carcinoma and with 1 to 3 affected lymph nodes was investigated, using the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique, prior to and following chemotherapy, within the framework of a randomized phase III study: the patients received either conventional or dose-intensified chemotherapy.
Results: In general, there was a significant reduction in VEGF levels after chemotherapy only in patients with large tumors (T3) (p = 0.043). There was also an almost significant reduction in patients with an overexpression of c-erbB-2 (Dako Score +3, p = 0.052). In contrast, the clearest reduction in VEGF-D occurred in patients with a positive hormone receptor status (p = 0.04) or in patients with a low expression of c-erbB-2 (Dako Score +1, p = 0.05). A significant effect of chemotherapy on VEGF-D was determined only in patients who had a baseline level that was above the normal (conventionel treatment p = 0.005; dose-intensified treatment p = 0.004).
Conclusion: Both VEGF and VEGF-D levels changed after chemotherapy, depending on the patient and tumor characteristics. With respect to changes in the plasma levels of VEGF and VEGF-D, there were no significant differences between dose-intensified and conventional chemotherapy.
Source: PubMed