Serum VEGF level is associated with the outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascular tumor that expresses vascularendothelial growth factor (VEGF). Various studies have evaluated the prognostic value of VEGF levels inHCC, but yielded conflicting results.Methods: Electronic databases updated to June 2013 were searched to find relevant studies. A meta-analysiswas conducted with eligible studies which quantitatively evaluated the relationship between serum VEGFlevel and survival of patients with HCC. Survival data were aggregated and quantitatively analyzed.Results: We performed a meta-analysis of 11 studies that evaluated the correlation between serum VEGFlevel and survival in patients with HCC. Combined hazard ratios suggested that serum VEGF level had anunfavorable impact on overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) =1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46-2.30], and disease free survival (DFS) (HR=2.27, 95% CI: 1.55-2.98) in patients with HCC. No significantheterogeneity was observed among all studies.Conclusions: Serum high VEGF level indicates a poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellularcarcinoma.