Minimally invasive colon resection for malignant colonic conditions is associated with a transient early increase in...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Vascular Biology
• Surgical Research

Background:

• Plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increases post-minimally invasive colorectal resection (MICR).
• Soluble VEGF receptors (sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2) bind VEGF, influencing its availability for endothelial cell (EC) receptors.
• Understanding perioperative changes in sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 is crucial for interpreting VEGF dynamics after MICR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess perioperative changes in plasma levels of soluble VEGF Receptor 1 (sVEGFR1) and soluble VEGF Receptor 2 (sVEGFR2) following MICR in colorectal cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Blood samples were collected from 45 colorectal cancer patients preoperatively and on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, and 7-30.
• Plasma sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
• Statistical analysis included paired samples t-test for sVEGFR2 and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for sVEGFR1.

Main Results:

• Preoperative sVEGFR2 levels were significantly higher than sVEGFR1 levels.
• Postoperatively, sVEGFR2 levels significantly decreased on POD 1 and 3.
• sVEGFR1 levels significantly increased on POD 1, 3, and 7-13, with sVEGFR2 changes being of greater magnitude.

Conclusions:

• Early after MICR, sVEGFR2 levels decrease while sVEGFR1 levels increase.
• The dominant decrease in sVEGFR2 leads to reduced VEGF binding by soluble receptors.
• This results in increased free plasma VEGF available to bind endothelial cell receptors post-surgery.