OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic performance and clinical correlation of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome.

METHODSWe recruited 104 patients with POEMS syndrome who diagnosed at Peking Union Medical College Hospital during October 2010 to April 2014 in the current study. Clinical data and serum samples were collected. Serum VEGF levels were measured, comparing to both disease and healthy controls, and its correlation with clinical features were analyzed.

RESULTSPatients with newly diagnosed POEMS syndrome showed markedly elevated levels of serum VEGF (median 3503 ng/L, P<0.01). A cut-off value of 1 200 ng/L had a specificity of 90.2%, with a sensitivity of 83.7%, in support of a POEMS diagnosis. Further analyses indicated that patients with higher serum VEGF level (>2 000 ng/L) had more prevalent osteosclerosis (61.0% vs 37.0%, P=0.031) and papilledema (70.1% vs 44.4%, P=0.017).

CONCLUSIONSerum VEGF level was useful in differentiating POEMS syndrome from other disorders with overlapping clinical presentations, and its levels correlated with several disease features.