Biomarkers of intrinsic angiogenic and anti-angiogenic activity in patients with endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endostatin were determined in postmenopausal women, including 72 with endometrial cancer, 27 with endometrial hyperplasia and 30 healthy controls. Serum VEGF levels in endometrial hyperplasia (142 +/- 18 ng/ml, mean +/- SE) and endometrial cancer stages I (291 +/- 22), II (623 +/- 68) and stage III-IV (1527 +/- 119) were significantly higher than the mean for controls (12 +/- 1.6). Serum endostatin levels in endometrial hyperplasia (149 +/- 19 ng/ml), endometrial cancer stages I (320 +/- 1), II (644 +/- 86) and stage III-IV (1253 +/- 114) were also significantly higher than the mean for controls (13 +/- 2.4). Elevated values of VEGF above the non-malignant level were encountered in 7% (stage 1), 37% (stage IT) and 100% (stage III-IV) of endometrial cancers. The corresponding figures for endostatin were 37%, 59% and 100%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the circulating levels of both markers correlated with tumor stage and apparently tumor burden. Serum VEGF and endostatin levels decreased significantly after treatment, followed by marked elevations at clinical relapse. The VEGF endostatin ratio was higher in the advanced stages (> 1.0) than in the early stages of endometrial carcinoma ( < 1.0), indicating that the balance of angiogenic stimulators and inhibitors may regulate metastasis and access tumor progression.