Functional vascular endothelial growth factor -2578 C/A polymorphism in relation to nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk and tumor progression. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a mitogen for endothelial cells and a potent regulator of angiogenesis and inflammatory processes in nasopharyngeal carcinomas. In the current report, we designed a case-controlled study to evaluate whether a genetically predetermined variation in the VEGF expression may affect susceptibility and prognosis. METHODS: A PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to determine the variation of the -2578 C/A promoter region in a Tunisian population of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC) and in healthy control subjects. RESULTS: A significantly risk of NPC was observed for carriers of VEGF -2578 C allele (OR=1.4; P=0.03). Regarding prognostic indicators, a significant association was found between -2578 C allele carriers and the aggressive forms of NPC as defined by large tumor size (OR=2.29; P=0.0002) and advanced tumor stages (OR=1.97; P=0.02). Moreover, an association was ascertained between the VEGF polymorphism and gender. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report on the studies of functional VEGF polymorphisms in NPC and our preliminary data suggest that this genetic variant may play a role in mediating susceptibility to NPC, as well as, in neoplastic progression, supporting our hypothesis for VEGF involvement in NPC etiology.

publication date

  • June 8, 2008

Research

keywords

  • Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 47649097736

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.cca.2008.05.022

PubMed ID

  • 18588866

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 395

issue

  • 1-2