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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

A Simple Bioassay for the Evaluation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Published on: March 15, 2016
Prognostic importance of vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression and vascular endothelial growth factor
Maja Patricia Smerdel1, Marianne Waldstrøm, Ivan Brandslund
1Department of Oncology, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark. Maja.Patricia.Smerdel@slb.regionsyddanmark.dk
Introduction:
Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) play a central role in angiogenesis and consequently, in various steps of ovarian carcinogenesis. Gene polymorphisms within the VEGF system have revealed a correlation with prognosis in some malignancies. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible importance of 2 VEGF polymorphisms and VEGF-A expression in ovarian cancer.
Methods:
We investigated 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms VEGF +405G/C and VEGF -460C/T by polymerase chain reaction and also analyzed VEGF-A expression by immunohistochemistry in 159 women with ovarian cancer.
Results:
Vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression revealed a significant correlation with survival in a Cox proportional hazards regression model (P = 0.012). Germline polymorphisms were not correlated with clinicopathological parameters such as stage, type, and histology. Heterozygous genotype in VEGF +405G/C predicted a better survival compared with homozygous genotypes (P = 0.034), and the heterozygous genotype in VEGF -460C/T pointed to the same direction. A multivariate analysis also indicated that heterozygosity of either of the 2 polymorphisms held independent prognostic significance (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms +405G/C and VEGF expression seem to have independent prognostic importance.
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