Unraveling the Angiogenic Puzzle: Pre-Treatment sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 Levels as Promising Prognostic Indicators in Early-Stage Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Despite the advancements in breast cancer (BrC) diagnosis and treatment, a considerable proportion of patients with early-stage disease still experience local recurrence or metastasis. This study aimed to assess the levels of specific angiogenic parameters in the EDTA plasma of BrC patients before and after treatment and to explore their clinical and prognostic significance. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), soluble form of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 1 (sVEGFR1), and soluble form of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2 (sVEGFR2) were measured in 84 early BrC patients, both prior to surgery and within a median time of nine months post-treatment. Prognostic significance was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses. Linear regression models were employed to examine the independent impact of selected angiogenic factors on DFS in breast cancer patients. The results of uni- and multivariate analyses indicated that a pre-treatment concentration of sVEGFR1 above 30.99 pg/mL was associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS) (p < 0.0001 for both analyses), while a pre-treatment concentration of sVEGFR2 above 9475.67 pg/mL was associated with an increased risk of BrC relapse (p < 0.0001 for both analyses). Additionally, a post-treatment concentration of sVEGFR2 above 7361.71 pg/mL was associated with better overall survival (OS) based on the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (p = 0.0141). Furthermore, linear regression models revealed a significant inverse association between pre-treatment levels of sVEGFR1 and the risk of relapse (standardized β −0.2578, p = 0.0499) and a significant positive association of VEGF-A levels with the risk of recurrence (standardized β 0.2958, p = 0.0308). In conclusion, the findings suggest that both pre- and post-treatment levels of sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 may hold promise as potential prognostic markers for BrC patients.