Prognostic value of soluble factors of angiogenesis and adhesion processes in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Aim: In this study, we aimed to define the prognostic value of two factors related to angiogenesis and adhesion processes of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The prominent angiogenesis molecule is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) first attracted attention more than two decades ago as endothelial adhesion receptor with key function for leukocyte recruitment in term of cellular immune response. Material and Method: 35 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas were enrolled in this study. The control group consisted of 20 people who had no sign of regional or systemic diseases. 33 patients were male and 2 patients were female. Mean age was 59.7 years (28-76). Results: We showed that VEGF levels in the patient group were significantly higher than in the control group (p=0.001). However, when comparing the VEGF levels of different stages, there was no statistical significant difference between the stages. Discussion: Serum VEGF levels can provide sufficient information for the early diagnosis of the disease but prognosis may not be evaluated according to the results of our study. VCAM levels were not specific and sensitive to use as a tumor marker but VCAM may be a valuable factor to determine the prognosis and tumor aggression in cancer patients.