Vascular endothelial growth factor in node-positive breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant tamoxifen

Br J Cancer. 2003 Jul 21;89(2):268-70. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6601060.

Abstract

In 212 postmenopausal women with node-positive oestrogen receptor-positive (ER(LBA)) breast cancer subjected to radical surgery and adjuvant tamoxifen, the risk of 6-year relapse increased with increasing values of intratumoral vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients whose tumours had a low/intermediate ER(LBA) content compared to patients with high-ER(LBA) tumours. These findings indicate that tumour progression, activated or sustained by high VEGF levels, may be counteracted in high-ER(LBA) cancers by tamoxifen, which in contrast fails to contrast the metastatic potential in low-ER(LBA) tumours.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / pharmacology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / physiopathology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / surgery
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Disease Progression
  • Endothelial Growth Factors / blood*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / blood*
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Lymphokines / blood*
  • Mastectomy
  • Middle Aged
  • Postmenopause
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prognosis
  • Receptors, Estrogen / analysis*
  • Risk Factors
  • Tamoxifen / administration & dosage
  • Tamoxifen / pharmacology*
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
  • Endothelial Growth Factors
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Lymphokines
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
  • Tamoxifen