Fig. 3

VEGF levels in ascites in dependency of tumor stage, grading, resection status and histological type. Comparison between VEGF levels (pg/ml) in the ascites samples of ovarian cancer patients between tumors of different sizes (T1-2 vs. T3-4). Statistically significant higher values in patients with T3-4 tumors were detected in comparison to T1-2 tumors (day 0) (p < 0.001) (a). Comparing VEGF levels in the ascites samples of ovarian cancer patients with well or moderately differentiated (G1/G2) and poorly differentiated (G3) tumors, we found a trend for higher values in patients with G3-tumors in comparison to G2/G1-tumors (day 0) (p = 0.061) (b). We revealed higher levels in patients with residual tumor after surgery (TR < 1 cm and TR > 1 cm) at day 0 in comparison to patients with no remaining tumor (TR 0). The differences between the group of patients with remaining tumor < 1 cm and the group with no residual tumor were significant at all days of measurement (all p < 0.05), and the differences between the group of patients with residual tumor > 1 cm and the group with no remaining tumor were significant on day 2 (p = 0.002) and on day 4 (p = 0.006) but not on day 0 (p = 0.063). There were no significant differences with regard to VEGF levels in ascites between the group of patients with remaining tumor < 1 cm and the group of patients with remaining tumor > 1 cm at any of the three days (all p > 0.05). A significant decrease of VEGF between day 0 and 2 could be detected in patients with no remaining tumor (p = 0.001) and patients with residual tumor < 1 cm (p = 0.009), but not in patients with remaining tumor > 1 cm (p = 0.499). (c). Analysis at day 0 of measurement revealed highest levels in the group of solid / solid-cystic tumors (d)