Aim: To study the impact of circulating vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) -A, -C and -D and their soluble receptors VEGFR-1/-2 on disease invasion and progression in patients with pre-invasive (CIN), invasive (PCC) and recurrent (RCC) cervical cancer.
Patients and methods: Blood samples were obtained from 125 women, including 50 cases of CIN, 51 of PCC and 24 of RCC, before treatment. Soluble (s) biomarker levels were determined by ELISA and tested for correlation with histopathological factors.
Results: With disease progression, sVEGF-A (p = 0.007) and sVEGFR-2 (p = 0.014) significantly increased, while sVEGF-D (p = 0.046) decreased. sVEGFR-2 levels were increased in node+ patients (p = 0.024) and in metastatic disease (p = 0.003). sVEGF-A values were higher in HPV+ cases (p = 0.019). In detecting disease invasiveness, sensitivity and specificity were 76% and 48% for sVEGF-A, 52% and 32% for sVEGF-D, 25% and 94% for sVEGF-C, 93% and 6% for sVEGFR-1 and 73% and 34% for sVEGFR-2, respectively.
Conclusion: In cervical neoplasia, a switch from a lymphangiogenic phenotype towards a hemangiogenic phenotype occurs with disease invasion and progression. The sensitivity and specificity values, however, seem not convincing enough to establish these factors as clinical markers for disease invasiveness in cervical cancer.