ABSTRACT
To study the levels of vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor of type I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and their correlations in prostatic cancer (PC) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), we examined 38 PC patients (mean age 66.6 +/- 5.5 years) and 80 BPH patients (mean age 60.3 +/- 2.5 years). Serum concentrations of VEGF, IGF-I and IGF-II were measured using kits made by R&D (USA), PSA by Boehringer Mannheim (Germany). Sensitivity and specificity of the tests were analysed by plotting the curves. The serum VEGF concentration in PC patients was 518.9 +/- 60.7 pkg/ml, in BPH patients--267.9 +/- 99.9 pkg/ml (p < 0.001). The IGF-I and IGF-II it was 178 +/- 19 and 136 +/- 9 ng/ml (p < 0.05), 400 +/- 31 and 351 +/- 23 ng/ml (p < 0.05), respectively. The ratio of growth factor concentration to PSA concentration in the blood serum in BPH patients was higher than in PC patients (p < 0.01). Sensitivity and specificity of PSA (4 ng/ml) made up 85.7 and 57%, VEGF (151.5 pg/ml)--76.2 and 57.6%, IGF-I (157 ng/ml)--57.6 and 50%; IGF-II (392 ng/ml)--57.5 and 50%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity VEGF/PSA was 85.7 and 70%; IGF-I/PSA--84.2 and 75%; IGF-II/PSA--84.2 and 79.6%, respectively. Thus, the ratio of concentrations of IGF-I, IGF-II and VEGF to PSA level in blood serum has high sensitivity and specificity for PC detection. Clinical implications of serum levels of VEGF, IGF-I and IGF-II for prediction of PC course and detection is to be elicited.
