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Early increase in serum levels of the angiogenesis‐inhibitor endostatin and of basic fibroblast growth factor in melanoma patients during disease progression
Author(s) -
Kurschat P.,
Eming S.,
Nashan D.,
Krieg T.,
Mauch C.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07724.x
Subject(s) - endostatin , basic fibroblast growth factor , angiogenesis , medicine , metastasis , melanoma , vascular endothelial growth factor , cancer , stage (stratigraphy) , angiogenesis inhibitor , oncology , cancer research , pathology , growth factor , biology , vegf receptors , receptor , paleontology
Summary Background Increased serum levels of angiogenesis‐related factors such as endostatin, vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have been demonstrated for a variety of solid and nonsolid tumours. Therefore, these factors have been suggested as diagnostic and in some studies as prognostic tumour markers. Objectives The purpose of the present study was to investigate a possible correlation of endostatin, VEGF or bFGF serum levels with disease progression in melanoma. Especially, we compared these factors to the established melanoma marker S‐100 B, which increases in advanced disease but often fails to indicate early metastatic spread to regional lymph nodes. Patients and methods Sera from 197 melanoma patients and 35 healthy controls were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay; 72 patients had primary tumours (American Joint Committee on Cancer stages I and II), 55 had regional lymph node metastasis (stage III) and 70 patients had distant organ metastasis (stage IV). Results Endostatin, VEGF and bFGF serum levels were significantly elevated in stage IV disease, compared with the control group. In stage III, endostatin and bFGF, but not VEGF or S‐100 B, were significantly increased. However, follow‐up of this patient group did not show a correlation with the future clinical course including time until progression or overall survival, arguing against a role of endostatin, VEGF or bFGF as prognostic markers. Conclusions These data indicate that endostatin or bFGF might be useful as diagnostic markers for the early detection of locoregional metastasis.