Platelet activation and vascular endothelial growth factor 165 release in hepatocellular cancer

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• 作者：Patrizia Ferroni^a ; ^{patrizia.ferroni@sanraffaele.it} ; Antonella Spila^a ; ^b ; Roberta D'Alessandro^a ; Francesca Martini^a ; Francesca Iacovone^a ; Giuseppe M. Ettorre^c ; Giovanni Vennarecci^c ; Roberto Santoro^c ; Claudio Puoti^d ; Fiorella Guadagni^a ; ^b
• 关键词：Angiogenesis ; Hepatocellular carcinoma ; Platelet activation ; Vascular endothelial growth factor
• 刊名：Clinica Chimica Acta
• 出版年：2011
• 出版时间：20 February 2011
• 年：2011
• 卷：412
• 期：5-6
• 页码：450-454
• 全文大小：201 K

文摘

Background

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF₁₆₅) is stored, transported and released by platelets. Platelet functional abnormalities have been described in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, this study was designed to investigate the behavior of VEGF₁₆₅ with respect to platelet activation in HCC.

Methods

Plasma and serum VEGF₁₆₅ and plasma sP-selectin levels were analyzed in patients with HCC (n = 70) or cirrhosis (n = 45) and control subjects (n = 70). Given the thrombocytopenia that characterizes both HCC and cirrhotic patients, plasma VEGF₁₆₅ and sP-selectin as well as serum VEGF (plt-VEGF₁₆₅-load) levels were normalized by platelet counts.

Results

Median concentrations of plasma VEGF₁₆₅/platelet (p = 0.002) and sP-selectin/platelet (p < 0.0001) were higher in HCC or cirrhotic patients compared to controls. Moreover, sP-selectin/platelet was the only independent variable predictive of plasma VEGF₁₆₅/platelet at multivariate analysis (p < 0.0001). Conversely, plt-VEGF₁₆₅-load correlated with tumor diameter (p < 0.05) but not with sP-selectin/platelet and was an independent predictor for 5 year overall survival (p = 0.012).

Conclusions

The results obtained are suggestive for VEGF₁₆₅ release by tumor in HCC. It is plt-VEGF₁₆₅-load, but not plasma VEGF₁₆₅ or serum VEGF₁₆₅ that is an independent predictor for overall survival of HCC patients.