Quantitative expression of serum biomarkers involved in angiogenesis and inflammation, in patients with glioblastoma multiforme: Correlations with clinical data

Issue title: An update from the Romanian international meeting “Cancer molecular pathobiology in the clinics: Highlights”

Guest editors: Ioana Berindan Neagoex and Angelo Paradisoy

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chiorean, Roxana^{a; b} | Braicu, Cornelia^{c; d} | Florian, Ioan Stefan^f | Leucuta, Daniel^g | Montefrancesco, Chiara ^j | Crisan, Doinita^h | Berindan-Neagoe, Ioana^{c; d; e; *} | Cernea, Valentin^{i; j}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Dermatology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [b] Department of Dermatology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany | [c] Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncology Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [d] Research Center for Functional Genomics, Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [e] Department of Immunology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [f] Department of Neurosurgery, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [g] Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [h] Department of Pathology, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [i] Department of Radiotherapy, The Oncology Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | [j] National Cancer Research Center, Istituto Tumori G Paolo II, Bari, Italy | [x] The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, Cluj, Napoca, Romania | [y] National Cancer Research Center, Istituto Tumori G Paolo II, IRCCS, Bari, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Ioana Berindan-Neagoe, Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, The Oncological Institute “Prof. Dr. Ion Chiricuta”, Republici, no 34-36, RO-400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents a very aggressive brain tumor. Angiogenesis is the formation of a network of new blood vessels, from preexisting ones. It plays an important role in the formation of the tumor, as it supplies it with oxygen and nutrients. Angiogenesis and inflammation play essential roles in glioblastoma development. These processes are regulated by the balance of a few molecules, acting as pro- or antiangiogenic and pro- or anti-inflammatory factors. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the expression of 7 markers involved in angiogenesis and inflammation pathways in patients with glioblastoma. VEGF, PDGF-bb, IGF-1, TGF-β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 levels were measured using the ELISA method, in the preoperative sera of 14 patients with histopathologically confirmed glioblastoma multiforme and 32 healthy patients. Serum levels of PDGF-bb, IGF-1 and IL-8 were significantly higher in patients with GBM, compared to the control group (p-value < 0.01). A statistically significant correlation has been found between IGF-1 and IL-6 levels (rho= −0.53, p-value < 0.05) and also between TNF-α and IL-6 levels (rho=0.60, p-value < 0.05). Statistically significant associations have been found between the presence of low levels of IL-8 and the development of coagulation necrosis (p-value < 0.05), high levels of VEGF and development of ischemic necrosis (p-value < 0.01) and high levels of IL-8 and the development of endothelial hyperplasia (p-value < 0.05). We have observed no statistically significant associations between the serum levels of the markers and the survival rates.

Keywords: Glioblastoma multiforme, angiogenesis, inflammation, ELISA, histopathology, survival rates

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-130310

Journal: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 14, no. 2-3, pp. 185-194, 2014