VEGF-A and VEGF-R1 in benign and malignant ovarian tumors: Correlation with HE4 tumor marker.

e17099 Background: Angiogenesis activity in the adult organism is primarily associated with the processes of blood vessel structure maintenance, wound healing and the menstrual cycle. VEGF-A is a powerful mitogen for endothelial cells, it inhibits apoptosis, stimulating cell survival. In tumor growth, balance of angiogenesis regulators is distorted and it goes out of the organism control meeting the needs of the growing tumor. HE4 is an ovarian cancer tumor marker. Our purpose was to study association between HE4 tumor marker and levels of VEGF-A and VEGF-R1 in ovarian tumor process. Methods: Levels of НЕ4, VEGF-A and VEGF-R1 in 47 patients with benign ovarian cysts (group A) and 76 patients with malignant ovarian tumors (group B) were determined by ELISA using standard test systems. Results: HE4 level increase by 27.5 and 37.6 times was found in 32.1% in group A and in 91.2% in group B, respectively. HE4 in group B did not exceed the norm in patients with metastatic and non-epithelial ovarian cancer. Positive correlation between HE4 and VEGF-A was found in ovarian tumors (group B) (r = 0,911). In patients with high HE4 level, VEGF-A concentration increased by 3.5 times in group A and by 8.5 times in group B. VEGF-A/VEGF-R1 ratio in tissue of tumors with high HE4 level increased by 7.3 times in group A and by 8.7 times in group B. Conclusions: We revealed an association between expression of tumor markers and neoangiogenesis system VEGF-A - VEGF-R1 in ovarian tumors; high HE4 level in ovarian tissue results in VEGF-A concentration increase and decrease of VEGF-A/VEGF-R1 ratio in both benign and malignant tumors.