Comparative analysis of serum and tumor vascular endothelial growth factor, insulin-like growth factor 1, matrix metalloproteinase 7 levels in patients with ovarian cancer

Aim: To perform a comparative analysis with simultaneous measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) in serum samples taken from healthy women and ovarian cancer patients; to perform association of these markers with their expression in primary tumors depending on clinical, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the disease and its prognosis. Materials and methods: We assessed 54 treatment-naïve patients with ovarian cancer aged from 23 to 74 years (mean ± SD, 53.2 ± 1.9), being at various FIGO stages of the disease. The control group consisted of 120 healthy women of matched age and reproductive status, in whom serum biomarker levels were studied. Patient survival was assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method, with survival curves compared with log-rank test. All analyses were done with “STATISTICA” and SPSS software. Results: Serum VEGF levels in ovarian cancer patients were significantly (p 505 pg/ml (upper quartile in the control). With 505 pg/ml taken as a threshold, the test had sensitivity of 79.6% and specificity of 75%. Another cut-off value of serum VEGF level between the patients with ovarian cancer and the control group (510 pg/ml) was derived from ROC curves and 75% sensitivity and 78.2% specificity. No acceptable cut-off value for serum IGF1 to differentiate between the patients with ovarian cancer and the controls could be obtained from the ROC curves. Serum MMP7 levels in the patients with ovarian cancer were significantly higher than those in the control group (Mann-Whitney test p