Research article

Basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor serum levels in breast cancer patients and healthy women: useful as diagnostic tools?

Anna M Granato¹, Oriana Nanni¹, Fabio Falcini², Secondo Folli³, Gabriella Mosconi⁴, Franca De Paola⁵, Laura Medri⁵, Dino Amadori² and Annalisa Volpi^2*

• * Corresponding author: Annalisa Volpi res.onco@ausl.fo.it

Author Affiliations

¹ Istituto Oncologico Romagnolo, Forlì, Italy

² Department of Medical Oncology, Division of Oncology and Diagnostics, Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, Italy

³ Breast Surgery Unit, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Morgagni Hospital, Forlì, Italy

⁴ Blood Transfusion Service, Division of Oncology and Diagnostics, Morgagni Hospital, Forlì, Italy

⁵ Pathology Unit, Division of Oncology and Diagnostics, Pierantoni Hospital, Forlì, Italy

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Breast Cancer Res 2004, 6:R38-R45 doi:10.1186/bcr745

Published: 25 November 2003

Abstract

Introduction

The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in breast cancer cells and the corresponding serum levels in individual patients. The study also evaluated the potential of serum levels of the two growth factors as diagnostic markers in a case–control study.

Methods

VEGF expression and bFGF expression were determined in 62 and 63 tumor samples, respectively. Serum VEGF and bFGF levels were determined in 54 and 65 healthy women and in 69 and 73 breast cancer patients, respectively, using a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique.

Results

A direct correlation was observed between VEGF expression and bFGF expression in individual tumors (P = 0.001) and between serum levels (P = 0.038) in individual patients, but not between tumor cell expression and the corresponding serum level for either growth factor. Median values of serum levels in healthy women and breast cancer patients were not different for VEGF (P = 0.055), but were significantly different for bFGF (P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve identified a serum bFGF concentration of 1.0 pg/ml, with 84.9% sensitivity and 63.1% specificity, as the best cut-off value to discriminate between healthy women and breast cancer patients. An age-based subgroup analysis showed that serum values of patients older than 70 years of age mainly contributed to the high accuracy.

Conclusions

Our data repropose bFGF as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for breast cancer.