Serum levels of basic fibroblast growth factor reflect disseminated disease in patients with testicular germ cell tumors

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Abstract
The potential role of angiogenesis stimulators in the pathogenesis of different tumor entities has been confirmed in several studies. We measured the serum levels of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) in 51 patients with testicular germ cell tumors and in 39 healthy volunteers. Serum concentrations of bFGF, VEGF and PDGF-AB were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The median serum bFGF level for tumor patients was 3.46 pg/ml (range 0–61.6) compared to 0.7 pg/ml (0–11) in the control group (PPP<0.05). Our data suggest that angiogenesis, as reflected by serum concentrations of bFGF, VEGF and PDGF, plays a functional role in the growth and progression of testicular germ cell tumors.