Growth factor indicative of response to radiotherapy in female cancers.(vascular endothelial growth factor)

2002 JUN 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors in Vienna, Austria, report serum levels of a single growth factor could be used to predict which women with cervical cancer might respond to treatment with radiation.

Physicians often opt for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hysterectomy, or a combination of treatments for cervical cancers that have advanced beyond a certain stage. A new study of cervical cancer patients who underwent primary radiotherapy for stage IB-IVA cancer has found that serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can be used for predicting when a patient may not respond with good results to such treatment. Several studies have determined that VEGF, a protein that encourages the growth of tumor blood vessels and increases the risk for metastasis, can be identified at higher levels in the serum of patients with some forms of cancer.

Twenty-three women were enrolled in the study, which was conducted by B. Bachtiary and colleagues at the University Hospital of Vienna. The women, followed for a median period of 25 months, were assessed for growth factor levels, tumor characteristics, and cancer progression following primary radiotherapy.

Initially, 19 of the patients completely responded to treatment, with the remainder demonstrating cancer persistence, Bachtiary and coauthors said. At follow-up, "Eight patients were tumor-free and 15 had tumor progression, of which 12 died of disease," researchers reported.

The cut-off value for predicting the risk for cervical cancer progression was 244 pg/ml, according to Bachtiary and colleagues. In the group of 19 women with a complete response at initial treatment, almost 60% exhibited serum VEGF concentrations equal to or ...