Vascular endothelial growth factor gene polymorphisms in ovarian cancer.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms within the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, the most important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability, were shown to be independently associated with an impaired prognosis in various malignancies. No data have been reported in ovarian cancer. METHODS: In the present multi-center study, we examined three common polymorphisms within the VEGF gene (VEGF +405G/C, VEGF -460C/T, and VEGF +936C/T) in 553 Caucasian patients with ovarian cancer using pyrosequencing. RESULTS: The three investigated polymorphisms did not correlate with any of the investigated clinico-pathological parameters. In univariate and multivariate models, only FIGO stage and patient's age at diagnosis, but not any polymorphism or any haplotype were correlated with patients' overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: In our large multi-center study, the investigated VEGF gene polymorphisms were not associated with prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer.