Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of serum response factor (SRF) in glioma patients and its association with microvessel density (MVD) and postoperative recurrence. METHODS: This retrospective study included 100 glioma patients who underwent surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University between January 2021 and March 2024. Glioma specimens were collected to assess MVD. Meanwhile, preoperative serum samples were analyzed to measure SRF levels. The associations between SRF, MVD, and postoperative recurrence were analyzed. The diagnostic value of SRF and MVD for glioma progression and their predictive potential for postoperative recurrence were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence in glioma patients. RESULTS: Serum levels of SRF and MVD were significantly higher in high-grade glioma patients than those in low-grade glioma patients. The area under the curve (AUC) for SRF in diagnosing glioma progression was 0.716, while that for MVD was 0.693; however, the combined use of SRF and MVD improved the AUC to 0.760. In glioma, SRF and MVD levels were not correlated with gender, tumor size, or age (P > 0.05), but were significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between SRF and MVD levels in glioma patients (P < 0.05). Patients with recurrent gliomas exhibited significantly higher SRF and MVD levels than those without recurrence (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis identified lymph node metastasis, SRF, and MVD as independent risk factors for glioma recurrence (P < 0.05). The AUC for predicting postoperative recurrence was 0.676 for SRF and 0.730 for MVD. When combined, the AUC increased to 0.782. CONCLUSION: SRF is highly expressed in high-grade glioma and is positively correlated with MVD. It is closely associated with postoperative recurrence and may serve as a potential biomarker for glioma progression and recurrence prediction.