[Serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels in patients with colorectal cancer and its prognostic significance].

Background And Objective: Thirty per cent of patients with histologically node-negative colorectal cancer die from disseminated disease. Actually disease stage is the most useful prognostic parameter although it is not sufficient. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic cytokine involved in the progression of tumors.

[Prognostic significance and clinic utility of serum and immunohistochemical cathepsin B levels in colorectal cancer].

Background: Aproximately one third of node-negative colorectal cancer recur suggesting the presence of micrometastasis not detected by conventional histopathologic methods. We think that the role of enzymes like Cathepsin B play in the process of invasion and metastasis in colorectal cancer might identify at earlier stages patients with high risk of shorter survival and who need more aggressive treatment. Our porpuse is to evaluate the prognostic significance of preoperative serum and inmunohistochemical levels of cathepsin B to identify colorectal carcinomas with worse prognostic.