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Updated: Sep 27, 2026
A Simple Bioassay for the Evaluation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Published on: March 15, 2016
Absence of clinical prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor and microvessel density in multiple
Jung-Hye Choi1, Myung-Ju Ahn, Se-Jin Jang
1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract:
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered a potent stimulator of angiogenesis. In multiple myeloma (MM), it has been reported that bone marrow angiogenesis parallels tumor progression and correlates with a poor prognosis. To investigate the role of angiogenesis in MM, we investigated VEGF expression and microvessel density (MVD) in the bone marrow of 75 MM patients by immunohistochemical methods. VEGF expression was observed in 87.3% (62 of 71) of patients. MVD was 69.42 +/- 9.67 (mean +/- SE) compared with the normal control values of 26.81 +/- 2.85. MVD values were 73.98 +/- 11.27 and 36.04 +/- 6.99 in the VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative groups, respectively. The MVD of patients in the VEGF-positive group was significantly higher than in the VEGF-negative group (P = .045). However, there were no significant differences in various clinical parameters, such as age, sex, hemoglobin, platelet count, serum levels of albumin, calcium, creatinine, and beta2-microglobulin, and bone marrow plasma cell percentage, between the VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, hemoglobin, platelet count, serum levels of albumin and creatinine, and bone marrow plasma cell percentage were correlated with overall survival, whereas VEGF expression or MVD was not. In conclusion, our results suggest that VEGF is highly expressed and that MVD is increased in MM, indicating that angiogenesis may play a role in MM. Although MVD in the bone marrow of the VEGF-positive group is significantly higher compared with the VEGF-negative group (P = .045), VEGF is not correlated with overall survival. Further studies that include other angiogenic factors are needed to determine the functional role of angiogenesis in MM.
Insights
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is highly expressed in multiple myeloma (MM), leading to increased blood vessel formation (angiogenesis). While higher microvessel density (MVD) was seen in VEGF-positive MM patients, neither VEGF nor MVD predicted overall survival.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Hematology
- Pathology
Background:
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis, a process implicated in multiple myeloma (MM) progression and poor prognosis.
- Bone marrow angiogenesis is thought to parallel tumor growth in MM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of VEGF and microvessel density (MVD) in the bone marrow of MM patients.
- To determine the correlation between VEGF, MVD, and clinical parameters, including overall survival.
Main Methods:
- Immunohistochemical analysis of VEGF expression and MVD in bone marrow samples from 75 MM patients.
- Comparison of MVD between VEGF-positive and VEGF-negative groups.
- Multivariate analysis to assess correlations with overall survival.
Main Results:
- VEGF expression was detected in 87.3% of MM patients.
- Mean MVD was significantly higher in VEGF-positive patients (73.98) compared to VEGF-negative patients (36.04) (P = .045).
- VEGF expression or MVD did not correlate with overall survival, unlike factors such as age, hemoglobin, and plasma cell percentage.
Conclusions:
- VEGF is highly expressed and MVD is increased in multiple myeloma, suggesting a role for angiogenesis.
- Despite increased MVD in VEGF-positive patients, VEGF and MVD are not independent prognostic markers for overall survival in MM.
- Further research into other angiogenic factors is necessary to fully elucidate the role of angiogenesis in MM pathogenesis.
