Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the relevance of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).
Methods: The pre-treatment and post-treatment concentrations of the serum VEGF and MMP-9 were detected with Luminex assay in 80 EGFR-negative patients and 59 EGFR-positive patients who received TACE therapy with different chemotherapeutic drugs.
Results: The serum concentration of MMP-9 in the EGFR-positive patients with primary HCC was significantly higher than that in the EGFR-negative patients (P < 0.05). In EGFR-positive patients with primary HCC, differences in stage, metastasis, and differentiation were significant (P < 0.05). Serum VEGF level significantly decreased at the second course of treatment in the EGFR-negative patients from the P group (P < 0.05), while serum MMP-9 level significantly decreased at the second course of treatment in the EGFR-negative patients from the E group (P < 0.05). Serum VEGF level in the EGFR-positive patients among three groups slightly decreased at the first, second and third courses of treatments; however, the differences were not significant (P > 0.05). Serum MMP-9 level in the EGFR-positive patients among three groups showed mild decrease at the first and second courses of treatments; however, the decreases at the third course of treatment were significant (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Serum VEGF and MMP-9 are potential biomarkers for the treatment monitoring of EGFR-positive and -negative patients after TACE therapy with different chemotherapeutic drugs.
Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, transarterial chemoembolization, EGFR, VEGF, MMP-9