Prognostic Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Correlation with Oxidative Stress Markers in Locally Advanced and Metastatic Ovarian Cancer Patients

• Published in: Diagnostics (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 166
• Main Authors: Trifanescu, Oana Gabriela, Gales, Laurentia Nicoleta, Tanase, Bogdan Cosmin, Marinescu, Serban Andrei, Trifanescu, Raluca Alexandra, Gruia, Iuliana Maria, Paun, Mihai Andrei, Rebegea, Laura, Mitrica, Radu, Serbanescu, Luiza, Anghel, Rodica Maricela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Antioxidants; Blood tests; Chemotherapy; Consent; Disease; Enzymes; Health aspects; Hypoxia; Kinases; Lipid peroxidation; malondialdehyde; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; ovarian adenocarcinoma; Ovarian cancer; Oxidative stress; Prognosis; Statistical analysis; Surgery; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Romania; vascular endothelial growth factor; malondialdehyde; ovarian adenocarcinoma
• ISSN: 2075-4418; 2075-4418
• DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13010166

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in tumor progression in ovarian cancer, but the complex mechanism and interaction with oxidative stress are not fully understood. A prospective study included 52 patients with ovarian adenocarcinoma stage IIIA-IV. Serum VEGF and reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as malondialdehyde and ceruloplasmin were measured. VEGF levels were elevated (mean 1014.7 ± 165 pg/mL), especially in patients with macroscopic residual disease (1058 vs. 810 pg/mL, = 0.0001). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6 and 40 months in patients with a very high VEGF (over 1200 pg/mL), 11 and 48 months in patients with VEGF between 1000-1200 pg/mL, 18 and 84 months in patients with VEGF between 800-1000 pg/mL, and not reached in patients with normal VEGF. Increased VEGF values were associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk of disease progression (HR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.69-3.99), and a 1.4-fold increased risk of death (HR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.15-1.91, = 0.002). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were used to validate VEGF as a prognostic factor and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.814, = 0.036 for PFS and 0.729, = 0.043, for OS. There was a positive correlation between VEGF and malondialdehyde, Pearson coefficient of 0.35, = 0.0001. VEGF and malondialdehyde are important prognostic markers in ovarian cancer, especially in macroscopic residual disease, and there is a positive correlation between angiogenesis and oxidative stress.