Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a diagnostic marker of non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to analyse the ability of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in serum and bronchial wash as a diagnostic biomarker of Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods: This study used an analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design in lung cancer patients. For each study subject, serum and bronchial wash samples were collected, and VEGF levels were tested using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the ability of VEGF as a diagnostic biomarker by determining the area under the curve (AUC). Then the best cut-off value will be determined using the Youden Index formula to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of VEGF to diagnose NSCLC. Results: The research subjects consisted of 110 participants, consisting of 75 NSCLC patients and 35 controls. This study found that bronchial wash and serum levels of VEGF in patients with NSCLC were higher than those in the control group (p = 0.010 and p < 0.001). Statistical analysis showed a positive correlation between serum VEGF and bronchial wash VEGF in NSCLC (r = 0.235; p = 0.021). The results of the ROC curve analysis showed a fairly good diagnostic ability for VEGF with an AUC value of 0.653 for bronchial wash VEGF and 0.709 for serum VEGF. Conclusions: The results of this study found that VEGF has a crucial role in NSCLC patients. Increased expression of VEGF in NSCLC patients, both in serum and bronchial wash, has the potential to be used as a diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC patients.

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