The Role of Serum Adhesion Molecules and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Lung Cancer Patients

Objective: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which are involved in anjiogenesis and serum intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM) which is a transmembranous protein from the immunoglobulin family play important role in tumor progression. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of serum levels of MMP-9, MMP-13, VEGF and sICAM with clinical parameters and survival in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to determine whether these proteins might be useful tumor markers for lung cancer. Material and Methods: In our study, serum levels of MMP-9, MMP-13, VEGF and sICAM were analysed in 72 patients with NSCLC patients (mean age: 60.03 +/- 10.86) and 46 healthy controls (mean age: 61.13 +/- 14.71). The analysis was performed by enyzme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The median survival of all patients was 22 months. Serum levels of sICAM, VEGF and MMP-9 were increased in NSCLC patients (985 +/- 489.4, 248.7 +/- 255.9, 5148.2 +/- 1996.2) compared with the healthy controls (300.5 +/- 204.1, 182.1 +/- 207.5, 2943.6 +/- 851.7), whereas MMP-13 levels were not significantly different from healthy control group (0.46 +/- 0.48, 0.53 +/- 1.35) (p> 0.05). No statistically significant relationships were found between all investigated serum parameters and age, smoking, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, or gender (p> 0.05). Additionally, there was no significant association between all serum parameters levels and survival in NSCLC patients (p> 0.05). Conclusion: High levels of MMP-9, VEGF and sICAM were found in NSCLC patients, however there was no statistically significance in MMP-13 levels. Analysis of serum levels of MMP-9, VEGF and sICAM appears as a potential tumor marker.