AGGF-1 Expression as a Predictive Biomarker for Anti-VEGF Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Burcu Gülbağcı1, Emre Çakır2, Gupse Turan3, Özlem Özkul4, Ilhan Hacibekiroğlu21Department of Medical Oncology, Tekirdağ İsmail Fehmi Cumalıoğlu State Hospital, Tekirdağ, Türkiye, 2Department of Medical Oncology, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Türkiye, 3Department of Medical Pathology, Kocaeli State Hospital, Kocaeli, Türkiye, 4Department of Medical Oncology, İstanbul Medicalpark Florya Hospital, İstanbul, Türkiye
Objectives: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains a major therapeutic challenge, and predictive biomarkers for anti-angiogenic therapy are still lacking. Angiogenic factor with G-patch and FHA domain 1 (AGGF-1) is a pro-angiogenic protein that has been associated with unfavorable prognosis in several malignancies. However, its clinical significance in mCRC, particularly in patients receiving bevacizumab-based chemotherapy, has not been clearly defined. Methods: This retrospective study encompassed 67 patients with mCRC who received first-line bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. Tumor specimens were evaluated for AGGF-1 expression by immunohistochemistry. AGGF-1 expression was assessed based on staining proportion and staining intensity. Results: AGGF-1 expression was detected in 33 patients (49.3%) and was more frequent in de novo metastatic disease than in recurrent disease (p = 0.026). Patients exhibiting AGGF-1 expression demonstrated numerically reduced overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS); however, these disparities lacked statistical significance. In multivariate analysis, AGGF-1 staining intensity was independently associated with PFS (p=0.009). Location of the primary tumor predicted both OS and PFS, whereas metastasectomy correlated with enhanced OS. Conclusion: AGGF-1 expression may be associated with unfavorable outcomes in bevacizumab-treated mCRC. Prospective studies are needed to clarify its prognostic value. Keywords: AGGF-1, Bevacizumab, Colorectal Cancer
Cite This Article
Gülbağcı B, Çakır E, Turan G, Özkul Ö, Hacibekiroğlu I. AGGF-1 Expression as a Predictive Biomarker for Anti-VEGF Therapy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. EJMI. 2026; 10(1): 54-59
Corresponding Author: Burcu Gülbağcı