Chemotherapy regimen based on sorafenib combined with 5-FU on HIF-1α and VEGF expression and survival in advanced gastric cancer patients

The present study investigated the effect of combined sorafenib chemotherapy on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and survival time of patients with advanced gastric cancer. From January 2010 to December 2011, 92 patients diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer were selected and randomly divided into the treatment group and control group. The treatment group was treated with sorafenib chemotherapy combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and the control group received 5-FU. The treatment course was 3–4 cycles. During the same period, 46 healthy persons admitted to the Second People's Hospital of Huaian were selected as the controls. A volume of 3–4 ml peripheral blood from each patient and control was collected before and after treatment. The expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in peripheral blood were measured by ELISA. The survival time of patients with advanced gastric cancer was followed and analyzed. Compared with healthy controls, serum levels of HIF-1α and VEGF were significantly higher in patients with advanced gastric cancer (P<0.05). After chemotherapy combined with sorafenib, the peripheral blood levels of HIF-1α and VEGF decreased significantly in the treatment group (P<0.05). The 5-year survival rate of patients in the two groups was followed. Compared with the control group, the 1-year survival rate of the treatment group was significantly higher (P<0.05). In conclusion, chemotherapy combined with sorafenib can effectively reduce serum levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in patients with advanced gastric cancer, and improve their 1-year survival rate and prognosis. Therefore, it has significant clinical application value.