Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor in childhood solid tumors: plasma and serum measurements

Serum and plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured in children with a solid tumor to investigate which provides better prognostic information.

Seventeen patients under treatment were divided into two groups: without (n 8) and with (n 9) detectable disease at radiological assessment (groups I and II). The control group consisted of 26 healthy children. VEGF was tested by enzyme-linked ELISA kit.

Serum VEGF concentrations in group II were statistically higher than those in group I (p<0.05) and those in controls (p=0.001), whereas the difference between group I and controls was not statistically significant (p=0.067). Plasma VEGF concentrations in group II were also statistically higher than those in group I (p<0.01) and those in controls (p=0.0001); the difference between group I and controls was also statistically significant (p=0.004).

Plasma would be the more useful specimen for measurement of circulating VEGF in cancer childhood.