Clinical value of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in ovarian diseases. |
Joo Hee Yoon, Dae Hoon Kim, Young Oak Lew |
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Suwon, Korea. yolew@catholic.ac.kr |
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Abstract |
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of serum VEGF and its relationship with the clinical parameters and the tumor markers in ovarian diseases. METHODS: We measured the serum VEGF concentrations by ELISA in 76 patients with benign ovarian disease, as well as 9 normal volunteers, 4 patients with ovarian borderline malignancy and 53 patients with ovarian cancer. RESULTS: There is a significant statistical difference between the serum VEGF levels in patients with benign ovarian disease (157.7+/-197.8 pg/ml) and ovarian cancer (344.7+/-372.2 pg/ml) (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Serum VEGF may help in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant ovarian disease. We suggest that serum VEGF may be useful as a diagnostic tool in ovarian disease. |
Key Words:
Ovarian disease, VEGF |
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