Does preoperative chemo-radiotherapy enhance the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with rectal cancer?
To assess whether preoperative chemo-radiotherapy enhances the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with colorectal cancer, we investigated in vivo and in vitro the interactions between chemo-radiotherapy and the expression of VEGF, and their possible impact on distant metastasis. Cellular cytotoxicity in the colon cancer cell lines, LoVo, SW480 and Caco2, was determined using a WST-8 colorimetric assay after cells were exposed to 5-fluorouracil combined with radiation. In addition, the VEGF levels in cultured cells were measured by ELISA. Preoperative serum samples and tumor specimens were prospectively collected from 32 rectal cancer patients who received preoperative chemo-radiotherapy. Both local and circulating VEGF expression levels were measured perioperatively by ELISA, and assessed in relation to the clinicopathological findings. Perioperative circulating VEGF levels from irradiated patients were also compared with a non-irradiated control group.
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