简介：Objective:Theexpressionofvascularendothelialgrowthfactor(VEGF)iscorrelatedtotheinvasionandmetastasisoftumorcellsinmanyclinicalcarcinomas.Inthisstudy,wedetectedsolubleVEGFlevelsinascitesandperitonealfluidandexploreditsclinicalsignificance.Methods:Atotalof91sampleswerecollectedanddividedinto5experimentalgroups:petitonealfluidofpatientswithbenign(n=10)andmalignantdisease(n=14),cirrhoticascites(n=36),tuberculousascites(n=8)andmalignantascites(n=23).Usingasandwichenzyme-linkedimmunoadsorbentassay,theconcentrationofsolubleVEGFwasmeasuredinascites(n=67)andpetitonealfluid(n=24).Results:VEGFlevelsinmalignantasciteswere640.74(264.81pg/ml,significantlyhigherthanthoseincirrhoticascites,tuberculousascitesandperitonealfluidofpatientswithbenignandmalignantdisease(P<0.01,separately).However,thedifferenceofVEGFlevelsamongthelatter4groupshadnostatisticsignificance(P>0.05),separately).Furthermore,VEGFlevelsinmalignantascitesfrompatientswithovariancancerwerehigherthanthosewithgastricandcoloncancer(P<0.01,respectively),whiletherewasnosignificantdifferencebetweengastriccancerandcoloncancer(P>0.05).UsingVEGFlevelof118.96pg/mlasaminimumcutofflimit,thesensitivityandspecificityofVEGFofthisassaytodiagnosemalignantasciteswere91.3%and73.9%respectively.Conclusion:TheelevatedlevelsofVEGFmaybeusefulasanindexindifferentialdiagnosisofbenignandmalignantascites.ItappearsthatVEGFplaysanimportantroleinmalignantascitesformation.