Role of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Treated with Radiation Therapy

Abstract

Background:Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF) agents area promising approach to increase theefficacy of treatment for treatment-resistant prostate cancer.Aims:Tocorrelate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) ex-pression andoutcome following radiation therapy in thetreatment of clinically localized prostate cancer.Study Design: Retrospective observational study.Methods:Forty-one patients andclinically localized disease that were treated withradiation therapy were analyzed. ForVEGF ex-pression, immunoreactivity scores (IRS) were calculated using per-centscores andintensity scores. Twenty-four patients wereclassified ashaving low(0to 4 IRS)and17patients wereclassified ashaving high (5 to 8 IRS) VEGF expression.Results:Themedian agewas71years, median follow-up was5.4 years andmedian radiation therapy dosewas70Gy.VEGF expres-sionwascalculated aslowin24patients andhighin17patients. Higher VEGF expression wasobserved in6/26 patients with a lowGleason score versus 11/15 patients witha highGleason score (p=0.02). Biochemical failure (BF) wasobserved in2/24patients withlowVEGF expression versus 7/17patients withhighVEGF expression (p=0.01). Inunivariate analysis, having a higher Glea-sonscore (p