BACKGROUNDTo study the relationship between the serum levels of endostatin,VEGF and clinical and pathophysiological characteristics in the non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

METHODSThe serum levels of endostatin and VEGF were detected in 46 patients with NSCLC and 14 patients with benign pulmonary diseases as control by ELISA mothod.

RESULTS(1)The preoperative serum level of endostatin [( 20.85 ±4.56) μg/L] and VEGF [(1.75±0.37) μg/L] in lung cancer patients was significantly higher than those in patients with benign pulmonary diseases [(15.68±2.78) μg/L and (1.05±0.32) μg/L). (2)The preoperative serum level of endostatin and VEGF in lung cancer patients was closely related to P-TNM stages, distant metastasis, grade of cell differentiation and the size of the primary tumors ( P < 0.05), but not to the histological classification, type of the tumor, lymph node status, age, sex of the patients and smoking or not ( P > 0.05). (3)The serum level of endostatin in lung cancer patients on the 7th postoperative day [(23.41± 5.12 ) μg/L] was significantly higher than that before operation [(20.85±4.56) μg/L] ( P < 0.05) and on the 1st postoperative day [(18.89±4.67) μg/L] ( P < 0.001). The serum level of VEGF in lung cancer patients on the 7th postoperative day [(3.75±0.71) μg/L] was also significantly higher than that before operation [(1.72±0.46) μg/L] and on the 1st postoperative day [(2.22±0.58) μg/L] ( P < 0.001). (4)The preoperative serum level of endostatin was highly negatively correlated to serum VEGF level in lung cancer patients ( r=-0.380, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSElevation of serum endostatin and VEGF exists in patients with NSCLC. The serum levels of endostatin and VEGF in patients with NSCLC might be helpful to evaluate the biological behavior of lung cancer.