Association between Biomarkers (VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3, VCAM-1) and Treatment Duration in Patients with Neuroendocrine Tumors Receiving Therapy with First-Generation Somatostatin Analogues

Angiogenic factors (AF) promote vascular formation and may thus support neuroendocrine tumour (NET) development. This study aimed to assess AF serum level changes in NET patients treated with prolonged-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs). The study enrolled 49 healthy volunteers (Group A) and 56 NET patients: treatment naive (Group B) and after-SSA treatment in various periods (months): under 12 (Group C), 13-24 (Group D), 25-36 (Group E), 37-60 (Group F), and over 60 months (Group G). The serum vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 2, 3 (VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) concentrations were tested using the ELISA. We noted significant differences in the concentrations of VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3, and VCAM-1 depending on the SSA treatment duration (p < 0.001). In the studied AFs, the highest decreasing levels of VEGF-R2 were observed after two years of therapy. However, monitoring VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3, and VCAM-1 during SSA treatment did not allow for the identification of good responders for this kind of therapy. Therefore, these biomarker measurements were not helpful in assessing SSA treatment effectiveness in NET patients.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the changes in angiogenic factors (AF) serum levels in neuroendocrine tumour (NET) patients treated with prolonged-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs). The concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 2, 3 (VEGF-R2, VEGF-R3), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) showed significant differences depending on the duration of SSA treatment. However, monitoring these biomarkers did not help in assessing the effectiveness of SSA treatment in NET patients.