The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of the combined detection of serum
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF) and
matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) by Luminex multiplexed assays for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of
breast cancer. Preoperative levels of serum
VEGF and MMP-9 were detected via a
lipid chip-based method in 301
breast cancer cases, 83 breast
fibroadenoma cases and 40 healthy adults. Postoperative levels of
VEGF and MMP-9 were also detected in 118
breast cancer cases. The levels of serum
VEGF and MMP-9 in patients with breast infiltrative
ductal carcinoma (IDC) were higher than those in the breast
fibroadenoma and healthy control groups (P<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference between the breast
fibroadenoma and healthy groups (P>0.05). The levels of
VEGF and MMP-9 were shown to correlate with the clinical stage,
tumor size and the
lymph node metastasis status. However, the levels were not associated with age or gender (P>0.05). In addition, the serum level of MMP-9 exhibited a significantly correlation with the
VEGF level (r=0.601, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that in patients with IDC, serum levels of
VEGF and MMP-9 prior to surgery were significantly higher than those following surgery (P<0.05). Therefore, the serum levels of
VEGF and MMP-9 can be used as markers for the diagnosis of breast IDC and may also be valuable for the prediction of lymph nodes
metastasis.