Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Endocrine gland-VEGF (EG-VEGF) are down regulated in head and neck cancer.

Si Mohamed Bouzoubaa, Mohammed Benlahfid, Mustapha Sidqui, Touria Aboussaouira, Chouaib Rifki, Sophie Brouillet, Wael Traboulsi, Nadia Alfaidy, Mohamed Benharouga

Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery 2020 Sep

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To characterise the role of VEGF, EG-VEGF and its receptors in the development and progression of HNC. Human serum and tissues samples were collected from healthy, epulis and HNC patients and used for ELISA assays and immunohistochemistry studies, respectively. Ibn Rochd Hospital of Casablanca (Morocco), INSERM and University of Grenoble Alpes (France). We used serum from 64 patients with head and neck cancers and from 71 controls without general pathology. Tissues samples were collected from seven patients with OSCC and from seven patients with Epulis. We compared circulating VEGF and EG-VEGF in normal and HNC patients and determined the expression, localisation and quantification of VEGF, EG-VEGF and its receptors; PROKR1 and PROKR2 as well as Ki67, CD31 and CD34 in OSCC and Epulis patients. Both EG-VEGF and VEGF circulating levels were significantly decreased in the HNC (P < .01). OSCC patients expressed less EG-VEGF and VEGF proteins, higher PROKR1 and PROKR2 with no change in CD31 and CD34 levels. A significant increase in Ki67 was observed in OSCC. We demonstrated that circulating VEGF and EG-VEGF are downregulated in HNC patients and in OSCC tissue. EG-VEGF receptors were increased in OSCC, along with a stabilisation of two key markers of angiogenesis. These findings strongly suggest that downregulation of angiogenesis in HNC might explain its moderate metastatic feature. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Citation

Si Mohamed Bouzoubaa, Mohammed Benlahfid, Mustapha Sidqui, Touria Aboussaouira, Chouaib Rifki, Sophie Brouillet, Wael Traboulsi, Nadia Alfaidy, Mohamed Benharouga. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Endocrine gland-VEGF (EG-VEGF) are down regulated in head and neck cancer. Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery. 2020 Sep;45(5):788-795