A Study on the Expression of Vascular Epidermal Growth Factor and Angiotensin II in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma and Sunitinib in Renal Cell Treatment

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between the expression of vascular epidermal growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin II (Ang II), and the therapeutic effect of VEGF inhibitor sunitinib in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). STUDY DESIGN: Expression levels of VEGF and Ang II were assessed in 40 patients with ccRCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Their associations with cancer clinical variables were further analyzed. The therapeutic efficacy of VEGF inhibitor sunitinib in ccRCC was also investigated. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS: The IHC results showed that both VEGF and Ang II were overexpressed in ccRCC and were associated with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis. No significant associations were detected in other clinical features such as gender, age, and tumor volume, etc. The effective rate of sunitinib in treating ccRCC was 85.7%-significantly higher than that of the control group. Moreover, its adverse effects rate was relatively low. CONCLUSION: VEGF and Ang II, whose expressions were closely related to tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC, could promote tumor growth together. VEGF may serve as a predictive factor for sunitinib in the therapeutic effect of ccRCC.