VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR EXPRESSION IN ADULT NEWLY DIAGNOSED NON-HODGKINS‘S LYMPHOMA PATIENTS
Keywords:
VEGF, aggressive and indolent Non-Hodgkin's lymphomaAbstract
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a highly heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative malignancies characterized by clonal abnormal proliferation and/or accumulation of B or T lymphocytes. Angiogenesis is a crucial process in the growth, development, and metastasis of many tumor types, including NHL VEGF is an important proangiogenic factor in many malignancies. The prognostic role of angiogenic factors in lymphomas is still debatable because of the heterogeneity of the nosological unit, the presence of different classification systems and methods of analysis. Aims: We aimed to investigate vascular endothelial growth factor expression in newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients and their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic parameters. Methods: VEGF expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in 60 patients with pathologically verified NHL before chemotherapy, and in 20 healthy controls. Results: A total of 60 patients with NHL, 32 men and 28 women. 24 were with Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 8 with Mantel cell lymphoma( MCL), 2 with Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), 9 with Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), 10 with Follicular lymphoma( FL), 1 patient with Plasmoablastic lymphoma(PBL) and 6 with Small-cell lymphoma( SCL).There was significant differences in the expression of VEGF between NHL patients and controls ( p<0.001 ). VEGF expression were significantly different in the group of patients with inolent NHL compared with the group of patients with aggressive NHL (respectively p= 0.016). Also, VEGF expression was elevated in the group of patients with high level LDH (p= 0.015) compared with the group of patients with a normal level. No correlation was found with hemoglobin, leukocyte count, plateket count, B symptoms and β2- microglobulin. Multivariate analysis showed a significant difference between the two study groups in terms of IPI (p = 0.005), with a moderate correlation between the type of lymphoma and the risk profile of patients (r = 0.399; p = 0.002). In the group of patients with intermediate and high IPI risk and high VEGF expression have an unfavorable prognosis and short overall survival. Conclusion: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a vital role in the development and progression of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Our data suggest that overexpression of VEGF in lymphoma tissue represents a promising potential prognostic factor in NHL.
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