CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS AND CANCER RISK: THE ROLE OF BLOOD VESSEL DEVELOPMENT IN BABIES WITH FOOT AND HEAD TUMORS
Keywords:
congenital malformations, vascular anomalies, angiogenesis, VEGF-A, TEK mutations, tumor progressionAbstract
Congenital malformations, particularly those involving vascular anomalies, have been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for childhood cancers. This study investigates the role of aberrant blood vessel development in mediating cancer risk among infants with congenital malformations, focusing on tumors in the foot and head regions. A cohort of 82 infants with vascular anomalies, including hemangiomas, kaposiform hemangioendotheliomas, and tufted angiomas, was examined. The study assessed angiogenic marker levels, genetic mutations, and tumor progression over a 12-month period. Baseline analysis revealed elevated levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), angiopoietin-2, and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), with mean VEGF-A levels of 312.4 pg/mL. The tumours followed three separate patterns of growth as 46% of tumours sustained their size while 30% continued to increase and 6% developed new cancerous tissue inside six months. Genetic studies revealed TEK along with PIK3CA and RASA1 which make up 28%, 22% and 13.4% of genes altered for angiogenesis. Analysis through correlation techniques indicated that VEGF-A levels in progressing tumours were substantially higher compared to stable tumours according to the r = 0.67 (p < 0.001) correlation coefficient value. The analysis through multivariate logistic regression produced two substantial predictors of tumour progression that included both VEGF-A (OR = 2.31, p = 0.001) and TEK mutations (OR = 1.95, p = 0.004). The study findings show that particular genetic mutations together with new blood vessel formation influence tumor expansion during infancy among children born with blood dysfunctions. Research findings present vital molecular evidence about why early diagnosis combined with genetic testing and specialized cancer treatment methods are essential to control malignancies in these vulnerable populations through our analysis.
