Upregulation of Serum and Tissue Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Correlates With Angiogenesis and Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose To investigate both serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations and VEGF expression in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to clarify whether upregulation of VEGF in OSCC patients is associated with increased microvessel density and various clinicopathologic features of patients with OSCC. Patients and Methods The study population included 31 patients with OSCC and 10 normal individuals. Concentration of serum VEGF was determined by using an ELISA kit. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate VEGF expression and microvessel density in OSCC. Results Our results showed that both serum VEGF levels and VEGF positivity were closely associated with both regional lymph node status and clinical stage of patients with OSCC. Increased microvessel density in oral cancer tissues was significantly higher in VEGF-positive tumors than VEGF-negative tumors. Conclusion Our present study indicated that upregulation of VEGF in oral cancer was correlated with both tumor angiogenesis and disease severity.