Expression Of VEGF And IL-33 In Breast Cancer Patients And Their Correlation With Clinical Features

Objective: Serum vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and interleukin-33(IL-33)in patients with breast cancer were measured and their correlation with clinical features were analyzed,to explore the role of these two factors in the genesis,development,invasion and metastasis of breast cancer,in an expectation to find new markers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer,and to provide experimental and clinical evidence for novel immunotherapy and targeted therapy.Methods: A total of 80 patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer and 60 patients with breast benign breast disease admitted to Shaoyang Central Hospital of Hunan Province from Dec.2015 to Oct.2016 were enrolled,and 60 female volunteers undergoing health examination over the same period were included as control.Serum levels of VEGF and IL-33 in patients of each group were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).For the breast cancer patients,the levels were measured two times before and after surgery.The four sets of data were analyzed to reveal the correlation of serum VEGF and IL-33 levels to breast cancer.The patients with breast cancer were further divided into subgroups according to their different pathological typing,TNM staging,presence of lymph node metastasis,and tumor size,and serum levels of VEGF and IL-33 were compared among these subgroups.SPSS 20 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results:(1)Expression of serum VEGF and IL-33 was significantly higher in patients with breast cancer compared than in those with breast fibroadenoma or in the healthy subjects(P<0.05).(2)In patients with breast cancer,compared to the preoperative levels,there were significant decreases in serum VEGF and IL-33 expression levels at 7 days and 30 days postoperatively(P<0.05).At 7 days postoperatively,serum VEGF and IL-33 levels presented no significant differences between patients with breast cancer and patients with benign breast diseases(P>0.05),and statistically significant difference between patients with breast cancer and healthy subjects receiving physical examination(P<0.05);at 30 days postoperatively,serum VEGF and IL-33 levels presented no significant differences between patients with breast cancer and healthy subjects receiving physical examination(P>0.05),and statistically significant difference between patients with breast cancer and patients with benign breast diseases(P<0.05).(3)Expressions of VEGF and IL-33 in breast cancer patients were positively correlated(correlation coefficient r = 0.630,P<0.05).(4)Serum VEGF level in patients with breast cancer was significantly correlated with pathological typing,TNM staging,differentiation status,lymph node metastasis and metastasis,tumor size,and triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)(P<0.05),but not with the age(P>0.05).Serum IL-33 level was significantly correlated with TNM staging,tumor size,and lymph node metastasis(P<0.05),but not with age,pathological typing,differentiation status,or TNBC(P>0.05).Conclusions:(1)Serum VEGF and IL-33 levels are increased in patients with breast cancer,and are closely related to the clinicopathological features of breast cancer,which is of great significance in the diagnosis,assessment and effectiveness observation of breast cancer.(2)There is a positive correlation between the expression of serum VEGF and IL-33 in patients with breast cancer,suggesting that the two may jointly promote the occurrence and development of tumors.