***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: We performed a clinical study to identify biological markers useful for the treatment of resectable non-small-cell lung cancers ( NSCLCs ) . In all , 173 patients were studied . By immunohistochemistry , we evaluated the Ki-67 proliferation index , tumour vascularity , thymidylate synthase ( TS ) , vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A , VEGF-C , and E (epithelial)-cadherin . Concerning the survival of NSCLC patients , tumour vascularity ( P<0.01 ) , VEGF-A status ( P=0.03 ) , VEGF-C status ( P=0.03 ) , and E-cadherin status ( P=0.03 ) were significant prognostic factors in patients with stage I NSCLCs . The Ki-67 proliferation index ( P=0.02 ) and TS status ( P<0.01 ) were significant prognostic factors in patients with stage II – III NSCLCs . In patients with stage II – III NSCLCs , furthermore , the survival of UFT ( a combination of tegafur and uracil)-treated patients with TS-negative tumours was significantly better than those of any other patients . Biological markers associated with tumour angiogenesis or metastasis are useful for the detection of aggressive tumours among early-stage NSCLCs . Postoperative chemotherapy might be necessary in such tumours even in stage I. In contrast , tumour proliferation rate and TS status are useful markers for identifying less aggressive tumours in locally advanced NSCLCs . Thymidylate synthase expression is also a useful marker to evaluate responsiveness of UFT-based chemotherapy for these tumours PURPOSE This study attempted to determine the prognostic value for survival of various pretreatment characteristics in patients with nonresectable non-small-cell lung cancer in the context of more than 10 years of experience of a European Cooperative Group . PATIENTS AND METHODS We included in the analysis all eligible patients ( N = 1,052 ) with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer registered onto one of seven trials conducted by the European Lung Cancer Working Party ( ELCWP ) during one decade . The patients were treated by chemotherapy regimens based on platinum derivatives . We prospect ively collected 23 variables and analyzed them by univariate and multivariate methods . RESULTS The global estimated median survival time was 29 weeks , with a 95 % confidence interval of 27 to 30 weeks . After univariate analysis , we applied two multivariate statistical techniques . In a Cox regression model , the selected explanatory variables were disease extent , Karnofsky performance status , WBC and neutrophil counts , metastatic involvement of skin , serum calcium level , age , and sex . These results were confirmed by application of recursive partitioning and amalgamation algorithms ( RECPAM ) , which led to classification of the patients into four homogeneous subgroups . CONCLUSION We confirmed by our analysis the role of well-known independent prognostic factors for survival , but also identified the effect of the neutrophil count , rarely studied , with the use of two methods : a classical Cox regression model and a RECPAM analysis . The classification of patients into the four subgroups we obtained needs to be vali date d in other series BACKGROUND Bevacizumab , a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor , has been shown to benefit patients with a variety of cancers . METHODS Between July 2001 and April 2004 , the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ( ECOG ) conducted a r and omized study in which 878 patients with recurrent or advanced non-small-cell lung cancer ( stage IIIB or IV ) were assigned to chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin alone ( 444 ) or paclitaxel and carboplatin plus bevacizumab ( 434 ) . Chemotherapy was administered every 3 weeks for six cycles , and bevacizumab was administered every 3 weeks until disease progression was evident or toxic effects were intolerable . Patients with squamous-cell tumors , brain metastases , clinical ly significant hemoptysis , or inadequate organ function or performance status ( ECOG performance status , > 1 ) were excluded . The primary end point was overall survival . RESULTS The median survival was 12.3 months in the group assigned to chemotherapy plus bevacizumab , as compared with 10.3 months in the chemotherapy-alone group ( hazard ratio for death , 0.79 ; P=0.003 ) . The median progression-free survival in the two groups was 6.2 and 4.5 months , respectively ( hazard ratio for disease progression , 0.66 ; P<0.001 ) , with corresponding response rates of 35 % and 15 % ( P<0.001 ) . Rates of clinical ly significant bleeding were 4.4 % and 0.7 % , respectively ( P<0.001 ) . There were 15 treatment-related deaths in the chemotherapy-plus-bevacizumab group , including 5 from pulmonary hemorrhage . CONCLUSIONS The addition of bevacizumab to paclitaxel plus carboplatin in the treatment of selected patients with non-small-cell lung cancer has a significant survival benefit with the risk of increased treatment-related deaths . ( Clinical Trials.gov number , NCT00021060 . Vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) is an important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability . Increased serum VEGF concentrations ( S-VEGF ) have been found in patients with various types of human cancer , including cancer of the lung . However , the clinical and prognostic significance of S-VEGF in cancer is unknown . We measured S-VEGF , using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay , in sera taken from 68 untreated patients with small-cell lung cancer ( SCLC ) at the time of diagnosis . The patients were treated with 6 cycles of cisplatin and etoposide , and were r and omly assigned to receive recombinant interferon , leukocyte interferon or neither .  S-VEGF ranged from 70 to 1738 pg/ml ( mean , 527 pg/ml ) . The patients who achieved partial or complete response to treatment had lower pre-treatment S-VEGF than the non-responding patients ( p = 0.0083 , Mann-Whitney test ) . High ( > 527 pg/ml ) S-VEGF was associated with poor survival ( p = 0.012 , Log Rank Test ) , and all 3-year survivors had lower than mean pre-treatment S-VEGF . In a multivariate analysis , S-VEGF and stage were the only independent prognostic factors , and the estimated 3-year survival of the patients with limited stage disease and low pretreatment S-VEGF ( n = 17 , 25 % of all patients ) was 41 % ( p = 0.0055 , log rank test ) . These data show that high pretreatment S-VEGF is associated with poor response to treatment and unfavourable survival in patients with SCLC treated with combination chemotherapy with or without interferon Long-term beta blockade for perhaps a year or so following discharge after an MI is now of proven value , and for many such patients mortality reductions of about 25 % can be achieved . No important differences are clearly apparent among the benefits of different beta blockers , although some are more convenient than others ( or have slightly fewer side effects ) , and it appears that those with appreciable intrinsic sympathomimetic activity may confer less benefit . If monitored , the side effects of long-term therapy are not a major problem , as when they occur they are easily reversible by changing the beta blocker or by discontinuation of treatment . By contrast , although very early IV short-term beta blockade can definitely limit infa rct size , more reliable information about the effects of such treatment on mortality will not be available until a large trial ( ISIS ) reports later this year , with data on some thous and s of patients entered within less than 4 hours of the onset of pain . Our aim has been not only to review the 65-odd r and omized beta blocker trials but also to demonstrate that when many r and omized trials have all applied one general approach to treatment , it is often not appropriate to base inference on individual trial results . Although there will usually be important differences from one trial to another ( in eligibility , treatment , end-point assessment , and so on ) , physicians who wish to decide whether to adopt a particular treatment policy should try to make their decision in the light of an overview of all these related r and omized trials and not just a few particular trial results . Although most trials are too small to be individually reliable , this defect of size may be rectified by an overview of many trials , as long as appropriate statistical methods are used . Fortunately , robust statistical methods exist -- based on direct , unweighted summation of one O-E value from each trial -- that are simple for physicians to use and underst and yet provide full statistical sensitivity . These methods allow combination of information from different trials while avoiding the unjustified direct comparison of patients in one trial with patients in another . ( Moreover , they can be extended of such data that there is no real need for the introduction of any more complex statistical methods that might be more difficult for physicians to trust . ) Their robustness , sensitivity , and avoidance of unnecessary complexity make these particular methods an important tool in trial overviews 
    Output:
    
However , VEGFC and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3)/flt-1 overexpression did not significantly correlate with survival in patients with NSCLC .
The data collected were not sufficient to determine the prognostic value of VEGF in patients with squamous cell lung carcinomas .
CONCLUSION VEGF overexpression indicates a poor prognosis for patients with NSCLC and SCLC ; VEGFC and VEGFR3/flt-1 overexpression was not significantly correlated with survival for patients with NSCLC