Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jul 16, 2024; 12(20): 4121-4129
Published online Jul 16, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i20.4121
Transforming growth factor-β1 and vascular endothelial growth factor levels in senile acute myeloid leukemia and correlation with prognosis
Wan Li, Sheng-Yu Ma, Hui-Ying Zhao
Wan Li, Sheng-Yu Ma, Hui-Ying Zhao, Department of Hematology, Suzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Suzhou 234000, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Wan L, Ma SY, and Zhao HY designed the study and were involved in the data acquisition and writing of this article; Wan L and Zhao HY contributed to the analysis of the manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Suzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (Approval No. C2024003).
Informed consent statement: All patients provided written informed consent for participation in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hui-Ying Zhao, Doctor, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Hematology, Suzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 229 Bianhe Middle Road, Suzhou 234000, Anhui Province, China. 18155785701@163.com
Received: March 21, 2024
Revised: April 30, 2024
Accepted: May 17, 2024
Published online: July 16, 2024
Processing time: 101 Days and 15.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease in which immature hematopoietic cells accumulate in the bone marrow and continuously expand, inhibiting hematopoiesis. The treatment and prognosis of this disease have always been unsatisfactory.

AIM

To investigate the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) expression and prognosis in older adults with AML.

METHODS

This study enrolled 80 patients with AML (AML group), including 36 with complete response (AML-CR), 23 with partial response (AML-PR), and 21 with no response (AML-NR). The expression levels of VEGF and TGFβ1 were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow mononuclear cells isolated from 56 healthy controls. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess overall survival (OS) and progression- or disease-free survival (DFS). Prognostic risk factors were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

The AML group showed a VEGF level of 2.68 ± 0.16. VEGF expression was lower in patients with AML-CR than those with AML-PR or AML-NR (P < 0.05). TGFβ1 expression in the AML group was 0.33 ± 0.05. Patients with AML-CR showed a higher TGFβ1 expression than those with AML-PR or AML-NR (P < 0.05). VEGF and TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML was significantly correlated with the counts of leukocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, and peripheral blood immature cells (P < 0.05); Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with high TGFβ1 expression had better OS and DFS than those with low TGFβ1 expression (P < 0.05), whereas patients with low VEGF levels showed better OS and DFS than those with high VEGF levels (P < 0.05). VEGF, TGFβ1, and platelet count were identified by the Cox proportional hazards model as independent risk factors for OS (P < 0.05), while VEGF, TGFβ1, and white blood cell count were independent risk factors for DFS (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Decreased VEGF expression and increased TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML provide valuable references for determining and individualizing clinical treatment strategies.

Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia; Transforming growth factor-β1; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Expression level; Prognostic correlation

Core Tip: At present, the prognosis and survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain unsatisfactory. In this paper, vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-β1 expression in patients with AML was investigated to fully understand the molecular mechanism of angiogenesis and immunomodulation in AML to enhance treatment strategies for targeted therapy, thereby improving prognosis in patients with AML.