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Peripheral blood concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptors (R1 and R2) in patients with adrenal cortex tumours treated by surgery
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Abstract
Introduction: Neoangiogenesis appears to be an important event in tumour invasion and in the formation of metastases in many endocrine-related human cancers. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a glycoprotein with potent angiogenic, mitogenic and vascular permeability-enhancing activities specific for endothelial cells and acts through VEGF receptors. The aim of the study was to evaluate the plasma blood concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR1, and sVEGFR2 in patients with benign and malignant adrenal tumours treated by surgery.
Material and methods: We studied the blood before surgery of 41 patients with adrenal cortex tumours and 10 normal subjects without hormonal or CT/USG pathology of the adrenal glands (controls). We studied the blood after adrenalectomy of 16 patients with tumours of the adrenal cortex.
Results: Concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in blood plasma before as well as 30 days after surgery were evaluated by ELISA. VEGF blood concentrations before surgery did not differ in the patients with the cortical tumours as compared to the controls. After surgery VEGF concentrations decreased among the patients, taken in total, with adrenal cortex tumours and cortical adenomas. Before surgery sVEGFR1 blood concentrations were increased in the patients with Conn’s syndrome only in comparison with the controls. After surgery, sVEGFR1 concentrations decreased significantly in the group with cortical adenomas only. Before and after surgery sVEGFR2 blood concentrations did not differ between the groups of patients studied and the controls.
Conclusions: Peripheral blood concentrations of VEGF and its receptors cannot be clinically valuable markers that discriminate between benign and malignant adrenocortical tumours before and after adrenalectomy.
Abstract
Introduction: Neoangiogenesis appears to be an important event in tumour invasion and in the formation of metastases in many endocrine-related human cancers. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a glycoprotein with potent angiogenic, mitogenic and vascular permeability-enhancing activities specific for endothelial cells and acts through VEGF receptors. The aim of the study was to evaluate the plasma blood concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR1, and sVEGFR2 in patients with benign and malignant adrenal tumours treated by surgery.
Material and methods: We studied the blood before surgery of 41 patients with adrenal cortex tumours and 10 normal subjects without hormonal or CT/USG pathology of the adrenal glands (controls). We studied the blood after adrenalectomy of 16 patients with tumours of the adrenal cortex.
Results: Concentrations of VEGF, sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in blood plasma before as well as 30 days after surgery were evaluated by ELISA. VEGF blood concentrations before surgery did not differ in the patients with the cortical tumours as compared to the controls. After surgery VEGF concentrations decreased among the patients, taken in total, with adrenal cortex tumours and cortical adenomas. Before surgery sVEGFR1 blood concentrations were increased in the patients with Conn’s syndrome only in comparison with the controls. After surgery, sVEGFR1 concentrations decreased significantly in the group with cortical adenomas only. Before and after surgery sVEGFR2 blood concentrations did not differ between the groups of patients studied and the controls.
Conclusions: Peripheral blood concentrations of VEGF and its receptors cannot be clinically valuable markers that discriminate between benign and malignant adrenocortical tumours before and after adrenalectomy.
Keywords
adrenal cortex tumours; adrenalectomy; vascular endothelial growth factor; soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1; soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2; angiogenesis; oncogenesis
About this articleTitle
Peripheral blood concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptors (R1 and R2) in patients with adrenal cortex tumours treated by surgery
Journal
Issue
Article type
Original paper
Pages
9-13
Published online
2008-12-19
Page views
658
Article views/downloads
976
Bibliographic record
Endokrynol Pol 2009;60(1):9-13.
Keywords
adrenal cortex tumours
adrenalectomy
vascular endothelial growth factor
soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1
soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2
angiogenesis
oncogenesis
Authors
Jolanta Jurczyńska
Tomasz Stępień
Hanna Ławnicka
Henryk Stępień
Ryszard Krupiński
Krzysztof Kołomecki
Krzysztof Kuzdak
Jan Komorowski
