Objective

To study the changes of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and beta 2-microglobulin levels before and after radiotherapy in 58 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and to elucidate the clinical significance of VEGF and beta 2-microglobulin test before radiotherapy.

Methods

Serum VEGF level was measured by sandwich ELISA in 58 patients with NPC and 24 healthy individuals, and the serum beta 2-microglobulin was assayed with time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay.

Results

The serum VEGF level in patients with NPC was (174.0±130.0) ng/L, higher than (134.1±66.6) ng/L of the healthy subjects, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The serum VEGF level was higher in T4 and Ⅳ a patients with NPC. No significant differences in the levels of serum VEGF were found among various N classifications in the patients with NPC. Patients with the serum VEGF level higher than 267.3 ng/L (mean+2 s of the serum VEGF level in the healthy individuals) had a shorter metastasis-free survival time (P<0.05). Although the patients with high beta 2-microglobulin level had a shorter survival time, the difference was not significant.

Conclusion

The NPC patients with high serum VEGF level have a poor prognosis.

Key words: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Radiotherapy, Vascular endothelial growth factor, Beta 2-microglobulin