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Updated: May 13, 2026
A Simple Bioassay for the Evaluation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Published on: March 15, 2016
Serum vascular endothelial growth factor-a levels during induction therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic
Manas Kalra1, Veronique Dinand, Sangeeta Choudhary
1Pediatric Hematology Oncology and BMT, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health, India.
Insights
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have lower serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels before treatment. Chemotherapy for ALL increases VEGF to normal levels, indicating its potential role in leukemia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Hematology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in angiogenesis and tumor growth.
- VEGF levels in pediatric malignancies, particularly Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), require further investigation.
- Understanding VEGF kinetics during chemotherapy is essential for assessing treatment response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate serum VEGF levels in children diagnosed with ALL.
- To assess changes in serum VEGF during the induction phase of chemotherapy.
- To correlate VEGF levels with tumor burden markers in pediatric ALL.
Main Methods:
- Prospective hospital-based study over 18 months.
- Inclusion of 30 children with ALL and 17 healthy controls.
- Measurement of serum VEGF-A-165 isoform (s-VEGF) using ELISA at diagnosis and post-induction.
Main Results:
- Untreated children with ALL exhibited significantly lower s-VEGF levels compared to controls (17.0 vs. 42.6 pg/mL).
- s-VEGF levels showed a moderate correlation with White Blood Cell (WBC) count (r=-0.56) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) (r=-0.52) at diagnosis.
- Following induction chemotherapy, s-VEGF levels significantly increased (median 44.2 pg/mL), nearing control levels.
Conclusions:
- Children with ALL present with diminished s-VEGF concentrations prior to treatment.
- Induction chemotherapy normalizes s-VEGF levels in pediatric ALL patients.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the VEGF-VEGF receptor interactions in leukemia cells.
Objective:
To evaluate serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during the induction phase of chemotherapy.
Design:
Prospective sudy.
Setting:
Setting: Hospital-based study over 18 months.
Patients:
30 children with ALL and 17 healthy age- and sex-matched controls.
Intervention:
Serum concentration of VEGF-A-165 isoform (s-VEGF) was measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay at diagnosis and at the end of induction chemotherapy.
Main Outcome Measures:
s-VEGF was compared with markers of tumor burden. Kinetics of s-VEGF was assessed in response to induction chemotherapy.
Results:
Median VEGF was significantly lower in untreated patients than in controls (17.0 vs. 42.6 pg/mL, P=0.004). s-VEGF levels were fairly correlated with WBC count (r=-0.56, P=0.004) and LDH (r=-0.52, P=0.02) at diagnosis. All patients but one were in morphologic remission at the end of induction. Median s-VEGF concentration on day 29/33 was significantly higher than on day 1 (44.2 pg/mL, P=0.009).
Conclusions:
Untreated children with ALL have significantly lower s-VEGF concentration than controls. At the end of the induction therapy, s-VEGF increased to levels similar to controls. The role of ligand-receptor interaction between VEGF and VEGF receptors on leukemia cells needs to be further delineated.To identify the risk factors for scholastic backwardness in children.
