Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 21, 2021; 27(27): 4453-4467
Published online Jul 21, 2021. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i27.4453
Prognostic role of plasma level of angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor in hepatocellular carcinoma
Gwang Hyeon Choi, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong
Gwang Hyeon Choi, Eun Sun Jang, Jin-Wook Kim, Sook-Hyang Jeong, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam 13620, South Korea
Author contributions: Choi GH, and Jeong SH were responsible for the study concept and design, data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation, statistical analysis, and manuscript drafting; Jang ES and Kim JW assisted in data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation.
Supported by Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Research Fund, No. 02-2019-037.
Institutional review board statement: This study approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the SNUBH, No. B-1201/143-002.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from each HCC patient after approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the SNUBH, No. B-1201/143-002.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Data sharing statement: We regret, but we are not willing to share data.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sook-Hyang Jeong, PhD, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 82 Gumi-ro 173 beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam 13620, South Korea. jsh@snubh.org
Received: February 21, 2021
Peer-review started: February 21, 2021
First decision: May 13, 2021
Revised: May 16, 2021
Accepted: July 7, 2021
Article in press: July 7, 2021
Published online: July 21, 2021
Processing time: 148 Days and 12.1 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are hypervascular, with characteristic features of hepatic arterial supply to the tumor. The factors involved in tumor angiogenesis include angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Research motivation

Angiogenesis markers can be a potential biomarker.

Research objectives

To investigate the profiles of plasma levels of angiogenesis markers in patients with HCC and evaluate their roles in predicting overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

Research methods

Plasma samples from 240 prospectively enrolled HCC patients in the very early to advanced stages were used to measure the levels of Ang-1, Ang-2, and VEGF. Their associations with clinical characteristics, OS, and PFS were analyzed.

Research results

The plasma level of Ang-2 correlated with liver function, tumor stage, and tumor invasiveness. Multivariable and propensity score-matched analyses revealed Ang-2 Levels with the highest predictive power for OS in patients with HCC.

Research conclusions

The plasma levels of Ang-2 can be a better biomarker than AFP in predicting OS or RFS.

Research perspectives

Identifying HCCs using circulating biomarkers that are sensitive to antiangiogenic therapy and predictive of OS and PFS could improve therapeutic approaches.