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Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with reduced severity of acute graft-versus-host disease and nonrelapse mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 38, pages 149–156 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

This study investigated whether or not there is a correlation between the changes in the serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Eighty-five patients undergoing allo-SCT were prospectively studied. The serum VEGF levels were measured on days 0, +7 and +14 after transplantation. The VEGF levels decreased significantly on day +7 and recovered on day +14. The highest levels from day +7 through day +14 were categorized by cluster analysis, which were then correlated with the nonrelapse mortality (NRM). There was a significant correlation between a low VEGF level and the occurrence of severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) including grade III–IV (P=0.029). The 1-year probability of NRM in patients with a low VEGF level was 22.5% compared with 3.5% for those with a high VEGF level (P=0.024). Multivariate analysis revealed clinically defined infections (P=0.011), advanced disease (P=0.014) and a low VEGF cluster (P=0.05) to be significantly associated with the occurrence of NRM in the cohort. In conclusion, low VEGF levels after allo-SCT are associated with NRM with an exacerbated severity of acute GVHD. VEGF monitoring after a transplant might identify those patients at risk of severe transplant-related mortality.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Bo-Kyung Kim for her excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

    C-K Min, S Y Kim, K S Eom, Y J Kim, H J Kim, S Lee, S G Cho, D W Kim, J W Lee, W S Min & C C Kim

  2. Department of Hematology, St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea

    C-K Min, S Y Kim, K S Eom, Y J Kim, H J Kim, S Lee, S G Cho, D W Kim, J W Lee, W S Min & C C Kim

  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea

    M J Lee

  4. Department of Rheumatology, St Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea

    C S Cho

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Correspondence to C-K Min.

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Min, CK., Kim, S., Lee, M. et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with reduced severity of acute graft-versus-host disease and nonrelapse mortality after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 38, 149–156 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1705410

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