VEGF is highly expressed in serum of patients with cholangiocarcinoma, it promotes angiogenesis, proliferation and invasion of gallbladder cancer cells, and inhibits apoptosis of tumor cells.
We evaluated the safety and efficacy of combination therapy with the oral VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib plus the MEK inhibitor trametinib in patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma.
Several molecules, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF), are involved in the angiogenesis process and their expression on tumor samples has been explored as prognostic marker in both cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer.
Our results suggest that axitinib should be a promising therapy for vascular endothelial growth factor-expressing cholangiocarcinoma, irrespective of tumor origin and gemcitabine sensitivity.
The VEGF and COX-2 mRNAs were identified as the bona fide targets of miR-101 in cholangiocarcinoma cells by both computational analysis and experimental assays. miR-101 inhibits cholangiocarcinoma angiogenesis by direct targeting of VEGF mRNA 3'untranslated region and by repression of VEGF gene transcription through inhibition of COX-2.
VEGF-A-634 G > C was significantly related to the toxicity score with 39%, 49% and 81% of patients with score >1 in GG, GC and CC patients, respectively (P= 0.01).
A trend towards a difference in tumoral VEGF-A expression depending on 936C>T polymorphism was observed, with a median at 540 pg/mg prot in CT + TT patients (n = 5) versus 940 pg/mg prot in CC patients (n = 44) (p = 0.064).
Elevated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressions are associated with the progression of cholangiocarcinoma.
The aims of the studies were to evaluate (i) the effect of ET-1 on cholangiocarcinoma growth in Mz-ChA-1 cells and nude mice and (ii) whether ET-1 regulation of cholangiocarcinoma growth is associated with changes in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), VEGF-C, VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and VEGFR-3.
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) have been considered as potential therapeutic targets in cholangiocarcinoma, but no studies have yet clarified the clinicopathological or prognostic significance of these molecules.
These results suggest that EGFR expression is associated with tumour progression and VEGF expression may be involved in haematogenic metastasis in cholangiocarcinoma.
There was no significant correlation between VEGF, Ang-1, Ang-2, and TSP-1 expression and tumor size, capsule formation, infiltration of capsule, portal vein invasion, intrahepatic metastasis or CCC differentiation.