Serum vascular endothelial growth factor as a significant marker of treatment response in pediatric malignancies

M. Weyl Ben Arush*, P. Schenzer, S. Maurice, R. Elhasid, S. Postovsky, A. Ben Barak, M. Haimi, I. Zeidman, L. Hayari, E. Livne

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to determine VEGF serum levels (S-VEGF) at diagnosis and at restaging in children diagnosed with cancer, and to investigate whether this parameter provides prognostic information for remission after induction therapy and response to treatment. S-VEGF levels of 35 consecutive pediatric patients with various types of cancer were assayed at diagnosis and at restaging. Levels of VEGF were determined using a commercially available ELISA anti-human VEGF immunoassay kit. Thirty-one children went into complete remission or had a very good partial response to first-line therapy; 4 patients developed tumor progression. At diagnosis average S-VEGF level was 495 pg/mL (range, 0.89-2220 pg/mL) and at restaging it decreased to 118.36 pg/mL (range, 7.44-487 pg/mL). (p = .0039). The 4 patients with tumor progression had increased S-VEGF levels at restaging. The comparison between the levels of S-VEGF at diagnosis and at restaging showed a significant difference for the patients who responded to treatment with decreased S-VEGF and the patients who developed tumor progression with increased S-VEGF (p = .0019). One child with metastatic Ewing sarcoma developed progressive disease after several weeks, with significantly progressively higher S-VEGF levels. One child with Hodgkin disease, who had a higher level at first restaging and developed progressive disease, responded to reinduction therapy and had a significantly lower level at the second restaging. The child with metastatic hepatoblastoma responded to first-line chemotherapy with concomitant decrease in S-VEGF and α-fetoprotein levels, but developed local recurrence with elevation in both parameters. Changes in S-VEGF levels correlated with response to treatment for most of the children diagnosed, with cancer. This provides a rationale for exploring clinical interest in S-VEGF measurements of a larger group of children with malignancies, and using the test for clinical trials of antiangiogenic therapies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)513-524
Number of pages12
JournalPediatric Hematology and Oncology
Volume22
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2005
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Angiogenesis
  • Pediatric cancer
  • Solid tumors
  • Vascular endothelial growth factor

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