Neovascularization, an essential event for the growth of solid
tumors, is regulated by a number of angiogenic factors, among which
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF) and
basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), are considered to exert potent angiogenic activity. In this study, we investigated whether serum
VEGF and bFGF levels could be predictors of the development and extension of thymic
epithelial neoplasms. The subjects of this study were 37 patients with
thymoma, 6 with
thymic carcinoma, and 23 healthy volunteers. Serum samples were collected before clinical treatment. Serum
VEGF levels were significantly (P < 0.05) elevated in the patients with
thymic carcinoma (1,080 +/- 1,185pg/ml) compared with those in the healthy volunteers (407 +/- 589 microg/ml). Serum bFGF levels were also significantly (P < 0.05) elevated in the patients with
thymic carcinoma (2740 +/- 631 pg/ml) compared with those in the healthy volunteers (1728 +/- 1,192 pg/ml). However, the serum
VEGF and bFGF levels did not significantly differ between the patients with
thymoma and the healthy volunteers. Serum
VEGF and bFGF levels did not significantly differ according to the stage and pathological subtype of
thymoma. Moreover, there was no correlation between the serum levels of
VEGF and those of bFGF. Thus, while serum
VEGF and bFGF levels may serve as markers for thymic epithelial
tumors, it is unlikely that circulating
VEGF and bFGF could be used as markers for assessing the progression of
thymoma tumors.