Serum Concentration of Selected Angiogenesis-Related Molecules Differs among Molecular Subtypes, Body Mass Index and Menopausal Status in Breast Cancer Patients

Dimitrios Balalis; Dimitrios Tsakogiannis; Eleni Kalogera; Stefania Kokkali; Elli Tripodaki; Alexandros Ardavanis; Dimitrios Manatakis; Dionysios Dimas; Nektarios Koufopoulos; Florentia Fostira; Dimitrios Korkolis; Ioannis Misitzis; Nikolaos Vassos; Chara Spiliopoulou; Dimitrios Vlachodimitropoulos; Garyfalia Bletsa; Nikolaos Arkadopoulos

doi:10.3390/jcm11144079

Serum Concentration of Selected Angiogenesis-Related Molecules Differs among Molecular Subtypes, Body Mass Index and Menopausal Status in Breast Cancer Patients

J Clin Med. 2022 Jul 14;11(14):4079. doi: 10.3390/jcm11144079.

Authors

Dimitrios Balalis¹, Dimitrios Tsakogiannis², Eleni Kalogera², Stefania Kokkali³, Elli Tripodaki⁴, Alexandros Ardavanis⁴, Dimitrios Manatakis⁵, Dionysios Dimas⁶, Nektarios Koufopoulos⁷, Florentia Fostira⁸, Dimitrios Korkolis¹, Ioannis Misitzis⁶, Nikolaos Vassos⁹, Chara Spiliopoulou¹⁰, Dimitrios Vlachodimitropoulos¹⁰, Garyfalia Bletsa², Nikolaos Arkadopoulos¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgical Oncology, Saint-Savvas Anticancer Hospital, 11522 Athens, Greece.
² Research Center, Hellenic Anticancer Institute, 10680 Athens, Greece.
³ Department of Medicine and Laboratory, Hippokration General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
⁴ Department of Medical Oncology, Saint-Savvas Anticancer Hospital, 11522 Athens, Greece.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Athens Naval and Veterans Hospital, 11521 Athens, Greece.
⁶ Breast Unit, Psychikon Clinic, Athens Medical Center, 11525 Athens, Greece.
⁷ Department of Pathology, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
⁸ Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences and Technology, Energy & Safety (INRASTES), National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, 15341 Athens, Greece.
⁹ Medical Faculty Mannheim, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
¹⁰ Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.
¹¹ Department of Surgery, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Background: Angiogenesis is a hallmark of breast cancer (BC) and is mediated by the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling axis. It is regulated by different proangiogenic factors, including platelet-derived growth factor-CC (PDGF-CC) and heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), as well as co-receptors, such as neuropilin-1, which could have prognostic implications in BC patients.

Patients and methods: We assessed the serum levels of VEGF, HB-EGF, PDGF-CC and neuropilin-1 in 205 patients with early BC (invasive, n = 187; in situ, n = 18) and in 31 healthy donors (HD) and investigated the potential associations with clinical and histopathological parameters.

Results: VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in patients with invasive versus ductal carcinomas in situ. PDGF-CC serum concentrations varied among BC molecular subtypes. Furthermore, we observed a differential expression of most biomarkers between overweight/obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m²) and non-obese patients among the BC molecular subtypes. Finally, the classification of subjects according to menopausal status revealed a significant difference in specific biomarker levels between patients and HD.

Conclusion: The serum concentrations of angiogenic molecules differ among breast cancer molecular subtypes and are affected by the BMI and menopausal status, which could have possible clinical or prognostic implications.

Keywords: angiogenesis; body mass index; breast cancer; menopausal status; molecules; subtype.

Grants and funding

The work was supported by a research grant from the Hellenic Anticancer Institute and the Hellenic Society of Medical Oncology (Protocol Number: 7590/22-05-2019).