Significance of vascular endothelial growth factor in chronic liver disease and hepatoceliular carcinoma

ABSTRACT

Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] is the most potent directly acting angiogenic growth factor that plays an important role in inducing tumor-associated angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the circulating VEGF in hepatocelluar carcinoma [HCC] and chronic liver disease [CLD]. The study included 13 with chronic viral hepatitis [CVH], 14 with liver cirrhosis [LC] and 13 with HCC, in addition to 15 age and gender- matched healthy subjects as controls. For each studied subject, detection of hepatitis viral markers, and assessment of liver function tests, alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] and VEGF were performed. Results of the study showed a highly significant [p < 0.001] increase of VEGF in sera of HCC patients as compared to other groups. VEGF serum level was significantly [p < 0.01] associated with portal vein thrombosis, however, it was not significantly associated with tumor size. There was no significant difference between the serum level of VEGF among either LC or CVH group compared to the controls. Moreover, no significant difference was detected between different Child-Pugh classes among LC patients. Furthermore, no correlation was found between serum level of VEGF and AFP, serum albumin, aminotransferases or prothrombin time among the studied groups. In conclusion, serum VEGF can be used as a tumor marker for diagnosis of HCC and as a prognostic marker for tumor invasion