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Michael G. Alexandrakis, Freda J. Passam, Emmanuel Ganotakis, Evgenios Dafnis, Constantina Dambaki, John Konsolas, Despina S. Kyriakou, Efstathios Stathopoulos
Bone marrow microvascular density and angiogenic growth factors in multiple myeloma
Keywords: hepatocyte growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-?, Angiogenesis, Multiple myeloma
There is evidence that angiogenesis plays an important role in the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?) are cytokines that potently stimulate angiogenesis. We evaluated the microvascular density (MVD) of bone marrow biopsies (after immunostaining with anti-CD34 antibodies) and serum levels of HGF and TNF-? in 43 patients with newly diagnosed MM. Twenty-four of these patients reached a plateau phase after treatment and were reevaluated for MVD, HGF and TNF-?. MVD values and serum levels of HGF and TNF-? were elevated in newly diagnosed MM patients in comparison with healthy controls. Pre-treatment MVD, HGF and TNF-? increased with advancing stage of MM disease. In patients reaching the plateau phase, a significant reduction in MVD, HGF and TNF-? levels occurred. A positive correlation was noted between pre-treatment MVD and serum levels of TNF-? and lactic dehydrogenase but not with HGF. However, HGF strongly correlated with ?2-microglobulin (?2M), TNF-? and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). We conclude that angiogenesis in MM, as expressed by the bone marrow MVD and the serum levels of angiogenic molecules such as HGF and TNF-?, increases with advancing clinical stage and decreases after effective chemotherapy.
Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 42, 10/2004
Pages: 1122 - 1126