Treatment of malignant pleural effusion in non-small cell lung cancer with VEGF-directed therapy
Zhangqiang Xiang, Xiangyu Deng, Wenfeng He, Qian Yang, Laichao Ni, Marzieh Dehghan Shasaltaneh, Mazaher Maghsoudloo, Gang Yang, Jingbo Wu, Saber İmani, Qinglian Wen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a critical regulator of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Bevacizumab (BEV) and apatinib (APA) are novel VEGF blockers that inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation and the development of pleural effusion. METHODS: F-FDG PET/CT imaging, TUNEL assay and Immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: apoptosis and decreased microvessel density. CONCLUSIONS: of thoracic tumour tissue, down-regulate the content of VEGF and sVEGFR-2 in serum and pleural fluid, and promote the apoptosis of tumour cells. Angiogenesis and MPE formation can be inhibited by down-regulation of HIF-1α, VEGF, VEGFR-2, MEK1 and MMP-2 molecular signalling pathway proteins.