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The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation

February 2018

The evaluation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and related angiogenic markers as prognostic factors in soft-tissue tumors

Author Information

Karampinis I(1), Joas E(2), Dreyer A(3), Ronellenfitsch U(4), Jakob J(5), Hohenberger P(5), Nowak K(1)

(1)Department of Surgery, Mannheim University Medical Center, University of Heidelberg, Germany. (2)Department of Gastroenterology, Mannheim University Medical Center, University of Heidelberg, Germany. (3)Department of Surgery, Katharinenhospital, Klinikum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. (4)Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Germany. (5)Division of Surgical Oncology and Thoracic Surgery, Mannheim University Medical Center, University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Publication

Eur J Surg Oncol

Summary

Neovascularisation is a critical step in the progression of malignant tumors. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (cEPC) have been proposed as surrogate markers of vasculogenesis in malignancies. In this project, we studied the impact of tumor-specific therapy on cEPC and associated angiogenic factors in patients with soft tissue tumors. Fifty-three patients with soft tissue tumors (25 soft tissue sarcomas, 19 GIST, 9 desmoids) and 15 healthy controls were included. The pre-treatment values of the angiogenic markers did not correlate with the clinical course of the disease. However, cEPCs levels were significantly higher in sarcoma patients with progressive disease compared to those with stable disease and should be further evaluated as early markers of disease progression in sarcoma patients. VEGF-A and angiopoetin-2 clearly play a role as mediators of the vasculogenesis contributing to tumor progression.

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