Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level before and after radiotherapy in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Method: In this study we used the methods of ELISA to test the serum VEGF level of 66 cases which including 46 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and 20 cases of healthy controls.
Result: The serum VEGF levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (P < 0.01). The serum levels of VEGF were significantly reduced at the end of radiotherapy (P < 0.01). The recurrence or metastasis rate was significantly higher in cases with > 150 ng/L VEGF level than those with < 150 ng/L.
Conclusion: VEGF plays an important role in the growth and prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.