High levels of VEGF receptor (VEGFR) mRNA are also detectable in tumour-associated endothelial cells (Brown et al, 1993a, 1993b; Plate et al, 1994), and high circulating plasma levels of VEGF have been shown to correlate with poor prognosis in patients with a variety of solid malignancies (Poon et al, 2001; Jubb et al, 2004). This evidence concerns the gene KDR and neoplasm.