Plasma VEGF levels in breast cancer patients with and without metastases

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key mediator of angiogenesis since it stimulates the formation of new blood vessels. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is related to the promotion of endothelial cells into tube-like structures, and it is therefore expected to promote angiogenesis with a greater potency than VEGF. VEGF and bFGF are considered to be biomarkers that predict treatment effectiveness. Elevated plasma VEGF and bFGF levels have been reported in a variety of different malignant tumors, and patients with metastatic disease have also been reported to present with higher serum VEGF and bFGF levels. Other studies have documented controversial results with respect to the prognostic and predictive value of the aforementioned biomarkers. This study aimed to determine the plasma VEGF and bFGF levels in breast cancer patients without metastatic disease compared with breast cancer patients with advanced metastatic disease. The study included 93 patients with breast cancer, 46 without recurrent disease (group A) and 47 with metastatic disease (group B), as well as 21 healthy individuals. The median age was 58 years (range 34-78) for group A and 59 years (range 37-75) for group B. All 93 patients underwent chemotherapy, adjuvant for group A, and adjuvant plus chemotherapy for group B patients with advanced disease. Plasma VEGF and bFGF levels were determined using a quantitative sandwich immunoassay, and samples were tested in triplicate (ELISA). The plasma levels of VEGF and bFGF varied greatly, i.e., from extremely low to extremely high in the two groups, as well as in the healthy individuals. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups or between the patients and healthy individuals. Data of the present study therefore showed that VEGF and bFGF levels are not valuable biomarkers for predicting treatment outcome.