The levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor and Bcl-2 and association between them in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES: In most of the tumors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) shows its angiogenic effects by increasing the level of the Bcl-2 oncoprotein. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of VEGF and Bcl-2 and the possible association between them in stage III and stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Twenty eight patients in stage III, 24 patients in stage IV and 25 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum Bcl-2 and VEGF levels were analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: The VEGF (pg/ml) level in stage IV (116.7±151.7) and stage III (116.2±140.6) patients was higher than healthy subjects (34.5±6.3) (p<0.0001). There was no difference between stage III and stage IV patients with respect to VEGF. The Bcl-2 level was not different between the three groups (p=0.15). The correlation test didn’t show any significance between VEGF and Bcl-2 in the three groups (p=0.109). CONCLUSION: The VEGF level in stage IV was not higher than stage III patients. In order to show the possible association between VEGF and Bcl-2 in stage IV patients, we need studies including more patients, angiogenic and antiapoptotic cytokins.