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. 2023 Jan 3;13(1):166.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13010166.

Prognostic Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Correlation with Oxidative Stress Markers in Locally Advanced and Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Patients

Oana Gabriela Trifanescu  1   2 , Laurentia Nicoleta Gales  1   3 , Bogdan Cosmin Tanase  4 , Serban Andrei Marinescu  5 , Raluca Alexandra Trifanescu  6   7 , Iuliana Maria Gruia  2 , Mihai Andrei Paun  2 , Laura Rebegea  8 , Radu Mitrica  1   2 , Luiza Serbanescu  1   2 , Rodica Maricela Anghel  1   2
Affiliations

Prognostic Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Correlation with Oxidative Stress Markers in Locally Advanced and Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Patients

Oana Gabriela Trifanescu et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in tumor progression in ovarian cancer, but the complex mechanism and interaction with oxidative stress are not fully understood.

Methods: A prospective study included 52 patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma stage IIIA-IV. Serum VEGF and reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as malondialdehyde and ceruloplasmin were measured.

Results: VEGF levels were elevated (mean 1014.7 ± 165 pg/mL), especially in patients with macroscopic residual disease (1058 vs. 810 pg/mL, p = 0.0001). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6 and 40 months in patients with a very high VEGF (over 1200 pg/mL), 11 and 48 months in patients with VEGF between 1000-1200 pg/mL, 18 and 84 months in patients with VEGF between 800-1000 pg/mL, and not reached in patients with normal VEGF. Increased VEGF values were associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk of disease progression (HR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.69-3.99), and a 1.4-fold increased risk of death (HR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.15-1.91, p = 0.002). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to validate VEGF as a prognostic factor and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.814, p = 0.036 for PFS and 0.729, p = 0.043, for OS. There was a positive correlation between VEGF and malondialdehyde, Pearson coefficient of 0.35, p = 0.0001.

Conclusions: VEGF and malondialdehyde are important prognostic markers in ovarian cancer, especially in macroscopic residual disease, and there is a positive correlation between angiogenesis and oxidative stress.

Keywords: malondialdehyde; ovarian adenocarcinoma; vascular endothelial growth factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Serum VEGF levels in patients with macroscopic tumors vs. patients with no macroscopic tumors (p = 0.0001).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan–Meier curves estimating disease-free survival (a) and overall survival (b) according to VEGF categories (less than 800 pg/mL, 800–1000 pg/mL, 1001–1200 pg/mL, more than 1200 pg/mL) in patients with ovarian cancer.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ROC curves of VEGF sensitivity and specificity for estimating the effect of VEGF on the time to disease progression (a) and overall survival (b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Positive correlation between VEGF and malondialdehyde (a) and VEGF and ceruloplasmin (b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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