Concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the serum of patients with cervical cancer:: prediction of response

The aim of this study was to determine the value of the measurement of serum VEGF and TGF-beta 1 levels in the diagnosis of cervical cancer and to see whether these levels decrease after treatment for cervical cancer. We measured serum VEGF and TGF-beta 1 levels through EIA in patients with CIN (n = 35), and cervical squamous cell cancer (n = 48). We also measured serum VEGF, TGF-beta 1, and SCC antigen levels before and after radiotherapy in 13 cervical squamous cell cancer patients. The sizes of the tumors in those patients were measured by a computer tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging. The serum VEGF levels were different between CIN and cervical cancer groups (P < 0.1), and the serum TGF-beta 1 levels in the cervical cancer group were lower than those in the other groups (P < 0.05). The serum VEGF levels were significantly related to the serum TGF-beta 1 levels in the cervical cancer patients (P < 0.01). In the cervical cancer patients, the decrease in the circulating VEGF levels after receiving radiotherapy was related to the decrease in tumor size (P < 0.01). While the measurement of serum VEGF level is adjuvant in diagnosing cervical cancers, serial serum VEGF level measurements may find a clinical use in the follow-up of women treated for cervical cancer.