TY - JOUR T1 - Prognostic Importance of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A Expression and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Polymorphisms in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer JF - International Journal of Gynecologic Cancer JO - Int J Gynecol Cancer SP - 578-584 LP - 578-584 DO - 10.1111/IGC.0b013e3181a13168 VL - 19 IS - 4 AU - Maja Patricia Smerdel AU - Marianne WaldstrØM AU - Ivan Brandslund AU - Karina Dahl Steffensen AU - Rikke Fredslund Andersen AU - Anders Jakobsen Y1 - 2009/04/01 UR - http://ijgc.bmj.com/content/19/4/578-584.abstract N2 - Introduction: Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) play a central role in angiogenesis and consequently, in various steps of ovarian carcinogenesis. Gene polymorphisms within the VEGF system have revealed a correlation with prognosis in some malignancies. The aim of the present study was to examine the possible importance of 2 VEGF polymorphisms and VEGF-A expression in ovarian cancer.Methods: We investigated 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms VEGF +405G/C and VEGF −460C/T by polymerase chain reaction and also analyzed VEGF-A expression by immunohistochemistry in 159 women with ovarian cancer.Results: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression revealed a significant correlation with survival in a Cox proportional hazards regression model (P = 0.012). Germline polymorphisms were not correlated with clinicopathological parameters such as stage, type, and histology. Heterozygous genotype in VEGF +405G/C predicted a better survival compared with homozygous genotypes (P = 0.034), and the heterozygous genotype in VEGF −460C/T pointed to the same direction. A multivariate analysis also indicated that heterozygosity of either of the 2 polymorphisms held independent prognostic significance (P = 0.001).Conclusions: Vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms +405G/C and VEGF expression seem to have independent prognostic importance. ER -