Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) as a Predictor of Active Acromegaly
Alper Karcı1, Zeynep Canturk2, Ilhan Tarkun2, Berrin Cetinarslan21Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, 2Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Kocaeli, Turkey
Objectives: To compare vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels between active and controlled acromegaly patients, to investigate the relationship of VEGF levels with growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels, and to examine the predictive value of VEGF for active disease. Methods: Adults (?18 years) diagnosed with acromegaly were included. Blood samples were collected to measure GH, IGF-1, and VEGF levels. Disease activity was determined according to the criteria established in 2010 by the Acromegaly Consensus Group. Results: Seventy-four acromegaly patients (28 with active disease, and 46 with controlled acromegaly, mean age 48±14 years) were enrolled. The basal GH and IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in the active acromegaly group than the controlled acromegaly group (p<0.001). The VEGF levels did not differ significantly between the groups (p=0.113). Correlation analysis demonstrated a significant negative correlation between the VEGF and basal GH levels for all patients (r=-0.274, p=0.034) and a significant negative correlation between the VEGF and basal GH levels in the controlled patients (r=-0.360, p=0.026). Conclusion: These data indicate that plasma VEGF levels were similar between active and controlled acromegaly patients and that VEGF doesn't seem to be a useful marker in determining disease activity in acromegaly patients. Keywords: Acromegaly, Growth hormone, IGF-1, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)
Cite This Article
Karcı A, Canturk Z, Tarkun I, Cetinarslan B. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) as a Predictor of Active Acromegaly. EJMI. 2021; 5(2): 232-239
Corresponding Author: Alper Karcı