PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - NOZOMU NAKAI AU - ANRI MAEDA AU - TAKESHI YANAGITA AU - TAKUYA SUZUKI AU - YUZO MAEDA AU - TAKAHISA HIROKAWA AU - KAZUYOSHI SHIGA AU - MASAYASU HARA AU - HIROKI TAKAHASHI AU - RYO OGAWA AU - YOICHI MATSUO AU - SHUJI TAKIGUCHI TI - Elevated Preoperative Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Does Not Predict Poor Outcomes in Curatively Resected Non-metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated Without Neoadjuvant Therapy AID - 10.21873/anticanres.16398 DP - 2023 May 01 TA - Anticancer Research PG - 2333--2341 VI - 43 IP - 5 4099 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/43/5/2333.short 4100 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/43/5/2333.full SO - Anticancer Res2023 May 01; 43 AB - Background/Aim: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) influences colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and is a key target in the treatment for metastatic CRC. However, the oncological impact of preoperative circulating VEGF in non-metastatic CRC (non-mCRC) has not been clearly elucidated. Herein, we have investigated the prognostic significance of elevated preoperative serum VEGF concentration in curatively resected non-mCRC without neoadjuvant therapy. Patients and Methods: A total of 474 patients with pStage I-III CRC who underwent curative resection without neoadjuvant therapy were included. The relationship between preoperative serum VEGF concentration and clinicopathologic characteristics, overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were investigated. Results: The median follow-up duration was 47.4 months. No significant relationship between preoperative VEGF and clinicopathologic characteristics including tumor markers, pStage, and lymphovascular invasion was identified; however, VEGF values were wide-ranged in every pStage. Patients were categorized into four groups as follows: VEGF < median, median to 75th percentile, 75th percentile to 90th percentile, and ≥90th percentile. A tendency for a difference in 5-year OS (p=0.064) and RFS (p=0.089) was observed among the groups; however, OS and RFS were not correlated with VEGF elevation. In multivariate analyses, VEGF ≥90th percentile was paradoxically associated with better RFS. Conclusion: Preoperative elevated serum VEGF concentration was associated with neither worse clinicopathological characteristics nor worse long-term outcomes in curatively resected non-mCRC. The prognostic value of preoperative circulating VEGF in initially resectable non-mCRC remains limited.