Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a strong inducer of angiogenesis and possibly a cellular survival factor in many types of cancer, has been evaluated in one preliminary study: VEGF levels were uniquely high in 11 patients with LM, while VEGF remained low in patients with non-neoplastic neurological diseases (Stockhammer et al, 2000). This evidence concerns the gene VEGFA and cancer.