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Meta-Analysis
. 2007 Oct 8;97(7):978-85.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603923. Epub 2007 Oct 2.

Where is VEGF in the body? A meta-analysis of VEGF distribution in cancer

C Kut  1 , F Mac Gabhann, A S Popel
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Where is VEGF in the body? A meta-analysis of VEGF distribution in cancer

C Kut et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major target for the inhibition of tumour vascularisation and the treatment of human cancer. Many tumours produce large quantities of VEGF, and as a result, diagnosis and prognosis of cancer may be predicted by measuring changes in VEGF concentrations in blood. In blood, the VEGF may be located in the plasma, or in the blood-borne cells and formed elements, in particular, platelets and leukocytes. In this study, we collate the measurements of VEGF in platelets, leukocytes, plasma and serum for breast, prostate, colorectal and other cancers. In addition, we analysed the concentration of VEGF in tumour tissue itself, as well as for other tissues in the human body. Although the concentration of VEGF in tumours is high, the size of tumours is small compared to other tissues, in particular, skeletal muscle. Thus, the total quantity of VEGF in tumours and in blood is small compared to the quantity in muscles. This large reservoir of VEGF may have important implications for the treatment of cancer.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in the blood of cancer patients and healthy volunteers. (A) Breast cancer studies. (B) Prostate cancer studies. (C) Colorectal cancer studies. (D) Other cancer studies. Weighted average for VEGF values denoted by a bar in the graph. *P<0.001 greater than healthy controls.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Intratumoural VEGF levels and platelet and leukocyte numbers. (A) Tumour cytosol VEGF levels. Colorectal tumour cytosol VEGF values are approximately 1.5 times higher than those in breast cancer studies. (B) Platelet count and leukocyte count in cancer studies. *P<0.001 greater than healthy controls.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) distribution in the body. (A) Concentrations of VEGF in the body. Average VEGF concentrations are recorded for platelets, leukocytes and the blood compartment for both healthy and control values. (B) Quantities of VEGF in the body. Average VEGF quantities are recorded for platelets, leukocytes and the blood compartment for both healthy and control values. (C) Comparison of blood VEGF quantities in healthy and cancer studies. Percentages of VEGF platelets, leukocytes and the blood compartment are evaluated.
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