Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) concentrations in peripheral blood as markers of pituitary tumours

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (slL-2R) are important cytokines. They are secreted by normal pituitary glands and those with all types of adenomas and may be involved in pituitary tissue growth. The peripheral blood concentrations of VEGF, bFGF and slL-2R in nineteen patients (17-70 years) with pituitary tumours and ten healthy subjects (23-34 years) were studied. Hypersecretion of prolactin (five cases), human growth hormone (four cases), and thyroid stimulating hormone tone case) was recorded in some patients, and the remaining subjects were diagnosed as having nonfunctional pituitary tumours. Increased peripheral blood plasma levels of VEGF (310.82 +/- 59.17 pg/ml) compared with controls (40.32 +/- 11.80 pg/ml; p < 0.01), as well as bFGF (87.27 +/- 7.58 pg/ml) versus controls (11.14 +/-: 2.43 pg/ml; p < 0.001) were recorded. The levels of slL-2R did not differ between the pituitary tumour patients (4,490.58 +/- 581.50 pg/ml) and control subjects (3,617.01 +/- 1,397.18 pg/ml; p > 0.05). The concentrations of VEGF and bFGF in the peripheral blood are useful additional markers of the presence of tumours.