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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: EJE-08-0197v1 159/2/167    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by João Bugalho, M. Articles by Sobrinho, L. G PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by João Bugalho, M. Articles by Sobrinho, L. G

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma

¹ Serviço de Endocrinologia² , Laboratório de Endocrinologia³ Centro de Investigação de Patobiologia Molecular, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil E.P.E., Rua Professor Lima Basto, 1099-023 Lisboa, Portugal⁴ Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova Lisboa, 1169-056 Lisboa, Portugal

(Correspondence should be addressed to M J Bugalho; Email: mjbugalho{at}ipolisboa.min-saude.pt)

Background: High levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been reported in patients with cancers of different origins. There are no data comparing serum VEGF levels of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) patients with that of the healthy subjects.

Objective: We tried to assess whether serum VEGF concentration in MTC patients is correlated with tumour extension and whether this marker might be used to further refine the selection of candidates for future therapies with receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Methods: Sera from 57 individuals divided into five groups: group I, healthy individuals (n=14); group II, MTC patients in remission (n=10); group III, MTC patients with residual disease (n=12); group IV, MTC patients with loco-regional disease (n=11) and group V, MTC patients with distant metastases (n=10) were analysed for serum VEGF and calcitonin (CT) levels.

Results: Analysis of serum VEGF did not disclose significant differences among the five groups. Mean serum VEGF level of patients with distant metastases was not significantly different from that observed in healthy individuals (319.4±49.78 vs 313.7±43.13 ng/l). Serum VEGF levels correlated positively with serum CT (r=0.4891; P=0.0394) for CT values below 2500 ng/l whereas there was no correlation for CT values above this threshold.

Conclusions: Serum VEGF levels in MTC patients are not significantly different from those found in healthy individuals and did not correlate with the extension of disease.