[Study on serum vascular endothelial growth factor level in ovarian malignant tumors]

To explore the diagnostic value of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level in patients with ovarian carcinomas, and to evaluate the correlation between serum VEGF level and prognosis of ovarian cancer.

Serum VEGF level in patients with ovarian neoplasms (120 cases of ovarian carcinomas, 25 cases of benign tumors) and 90 healthy women as controls was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), also the change of preoperative and postoperative serum VEGF level of 25 cases of epithelial ovarian cancer was observed.

(1)The preoperative serum VEGF levels were (766 +/- 1237) mg/L in malignant groups, and there was a significant difference compared with normal controls (55 +/- 19) mg/L or patients with benign tumor (56 +/- 23) mg/L (P < 0.05). As a cut-off at 100 mg/L, sensitivity and specificity of preoperative serum VEGF levels for diagnosing ovarian cancer was 77% and 87% respectively. (2) Serum VEGF level were significantly elevated in advanced stage (955 +/- 1716) mg/L and poorly differentiated (991 +/- 1349) mg/L compared with early stage (198 +/- 287) mg/L and well differentiated (280 +/- 552) mg/L (P < 0.05), but there is no significant difference between the VEGF level and pathological types (P > 0.05). (3) The postoperative serum VEGF levels (118 +/- 110) mg/L were significantly lower than that in preoperative (1074 +/- 1211) mg/L. (4) The average total survival-time in patients with VEGF(+) was 28 months, but it in patients with VEGF(-) was 35 months (P < 0.05).

Serum VEGF values were higher in malignant tumors and preoperative serum VEGF level has a potential as a marker for diagnosing and monitoring in ovarian neoplasms.