Evaluation of the balance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic circulating factors in patients with breast and gastrointestinal cancers

Angiogenesis is a critical determinant of tumor growth. Tumor cells produce or induce angiogenic molecules that act specifically on endothelial cells (ECs) but also release angiostatic molecules. Thus, tumor angiogenesis represents a net balance between positive and negative regulators of neovascularization, Sera from patients with breast or gastrointestinal cancers were evaluated for their capacity to selectively modulate the proliferation of human umbilical vein ECs; sera from 15 of 78 (19%) breast cancer patients and 8 of 53 (15%) gastrointestinal cancer patients induced human umbilical vein EC growth, whereas sera from 4 of 78 (5%) breast cancer patients and 1 of 53 (2%) gastrointestinal cancer patients inhibited EC proliferation. Growth-stimulatory sera were significantly more frequent among postmenopausal (14 of 53) than premenopausal (1 of 25) breast cancer patients; inhibitory activity was observed in 3 of 25 premenopausal patients versus 1 of 53 postmenopausal individuals. The half-life of serum-stimulating and -inhibiting factors seemed to differ, because stimulatory activity but not inhibitory activity was decreased at 5 days after surgery. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor were elevated in about 45% of patients with growth-stimulatory sera, whereas the serum inhibition of EC growth was found to be due, at least in part, to high levels of soluble thrombospondin