Pathologic Response During Chemo-radiotherapy and Variation of Serum VEGF Levels Could Predict Effects of Chemo-Radiotherapy in Patients with Esophageal Cancer

Background: To investigate the relationship between pathologic tumor response to concurrent chemoradiotherapyand variation of serum VEGF in patients with esophageal cancer. Materials and
Methods: Fortysix patients with esophageal cancer who were treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy were enrolled.Endoscopic and pathologic examination was conducted before and four weeks afterwards. Serum level of VEGFwas documented before, four weeks later and after chemo-radiotherapy. The relationship between pathologicresponse and the variation of serum level of VEGF and its influence on the prognosis were investigated.
Results:Serum level of VEGF decreased remarkably during and after chemo-radiotherapy in patients whose pathologicresponse was severe (F=5.393, 4.587, P(0.05). There were no statistical differences of serum VEGF level before,during and after chemo-radiotherapy for patients whose pathologic response was moderate or mild. There were18 (85.7%), 7 (53.8%) and 6 patients (50.0%) whose serum VEGF level dropped in the severe, moderate andmild group, respectively, with significant differences among these groups (p=0.046). Two year survival rates ofpatients with severe, moderate and mild pathologic response were 61.9%, 53.8% and 33.3% respectively, and nostatistically difference between severe and mild group regarding OS (p=0.245) was tested.
Conclusions: Tumorpathologic response during chemo-radiotherapy and the changes of serum VEGF lever could predict curativeeffects of chemo-radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer.