Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated in brain tumor cysts and correlates with tumor progression (original) (raw)

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key regulatory protein in neoangiogenesis, is strongly expressed in a variety of primary brain tumors, particularly malignant gliomas. In previous studies, high levels of VEGF were also reported in tumor cysts of glioblastomas. Using an ELISA method we measured the concentration of VEGF in matched samples of aspiration fluid from tumor cysts and serum. Samples were collected from 14 patients with primary brain tumors of various histology (six glioblastomas, one protoplasmatic astrocytoma, two pilocytic astrocytomas, one ependymoma, one meningioma, and three craniopharyngiomas) and two patients with solitary cystic brain metastases from adenocarcinomas of the lung. Aspiration fluids of tumor cysts from all patients revealed high VEGF levels ranging between 882 and 1,263,000 pg/ml, which were 2 to more than 2,000 times higher than the corresponding serum levels. Maximum VEGF levels were detectable in cyst fluids from recurrent glioblastoma. Serum VEGF levels ranged between 125 and 716 pg/ml and did not differ from serum levels in 145 healthy volunteers. In a single patient with metastatic lung cancer the concentration of VEGF in serum and cyst fluid was determined during disease progression. During 60 days of follow-up VEGF concentrations in the cyst fluid collected by puncture of an Ommaya reservoir increased 650-fold, while serum levels remained rather constant. These findings indicate that immunoreactive VEGF is produced at the tumor site and abundantly released into the cyst fluid of primary and metastatic brain tumors. Interestingly, this abundant local release is not reflected in serum VEGF levels, even in the case of very high VEGF concentrations in tumor cysts. Thus, VEGF may be biologically relevant for the formation of tumor cysts in brain tumors and correlates with local disease progression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Tel.: +43-512-5043884, Fax: +43-512-5044260, , , , , , AT
    Günther Stockhammer & Armin Muigg
  2. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, , , , , , AT
    Alois Obwegeser & Herwig Kostron
  3. Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, , , , , , AT
    Petra Schumacher, Eberhard Gunsilius & Günther Gastl
  4. Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, , , , , , AT
    Stefan Felber
  5. Department of Pathology, University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, , , , , , AT
    Hans Maier
  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Vienna, Währingergürtel 18–20, 1020 Vienna, Austria, , , , , , AT
    Irene Slavc

Authors

  1. Günther Stockhammer
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  2. Alois Obwegeser
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  3. Herwig Kostron
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  4. Petra Schumacher
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  5. Armin Muigg
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  6. Stefan Felber
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  7. Hans Maier
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  8. Irene Slavc
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  9. Eberhard Gunsilius
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  10. Günther Gastl
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Received: 29 March 1999 / Revised / Accepted: 13 October 1999

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Stockhammer, G., Obwegeser, A., Kostron, H. et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated in brain tumor cysts and correlates with tumor progression.Acta Neuropathol 100, 101–105 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004010051199

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