PMID- 7742720
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19950615
LR  - 20151119
IS  - 1055-9965 (Print)
IS  - 1055-9965 (Linking)
VI  - 4
IP  - 2
DP  - 1995 Mar
TI  - Serum levels of transforming growth factor alpha in gastrointestinal cancer 
      patients.
PG  - 127-31
AB  - Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha), a polypeptide growth-stimulating 
      factor, has been implicated to play a role in the progression of gastrointestinal 
      (GI) cancer. It has been suggested that TGF alpha expression in tumors or TGF 
      alpha in the biological fluids of cancer patients may have tumor marker value. 
      The serum levels of TGF alpha in GI cancer patients have not been reported. In 
      this study, the serum TGF alpha levels of 100 GI cancer patients, as well as 74 
      healthy individuals, were determined by a TGF alpha-specific RIA kit. All of the 
      cancer patient sera and 67% of the normal sera had detectable levels of TGF 
      alpha. The TGF alpha concentrations in GI cancer patients ranged from 119 to 760 
      pg/ml, with a mean value of 269 +/- 102 pg/ml. Fifty normal individuals had 
      detectable levels of TGF alpha, and their levels ranged from 120 to 207 pg/ml, 
      with a mean value of 147 +/- 18 pg/ml. Differences in serum TGF alpha 
      concentration between cancer patients and healthy individuals were found to be 
      statistically significant, as evaluated by Mann-Whitney and Student's t tests. 
      Serum TGF alpha levels were found to be significantly elevated in all disease 
      stages of gastric, pancreas, colon, and rectal cancers, and only in the late 
      stages of esophageal cancer. Serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels were 
      significantly elevated only in the late stages of these diseases. The potential 
      of serum TGF alpha as a tumor marker for GI malignancy, therefore, warrants 
      further investigation.
FAU - Moskal, T L
AU  - Moskal TL
AD  - Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer 
      Center, Houston 77030, USA.
FAU - Huang, S
AU  - Huang S
FAU - Ellis, L M
AU  - Ellis LM
FAU - Fritsche, H A Jr
AU  - Fritsche HA Jr
FAU - Chakrabarty, S
AU  - Chakrabarty S
LA  - eng
GR  - T32CA09599/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
JT  - Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American 
      Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of 
      Preventive Oncology
JID - 9200608
RN  - 0 (Biomarkers, Tumor)
RN  - 0 (Carcinoembryonic Antigen)
RN  - 0 (Transforming Growth Factor alpha)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Aged
MH  - Biomarkers, Tumor/blood
MH  - Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood
MH  - Case-Control Studies
MH  - Colonic Neoplasms/blood
MH  - Esophageal Neoplasms/blood
MH  - Female
MH  - Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/*blood
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Neoplasm Staging
MH  - Pancreatic Neoplasms/blood
MH  - Rectal Neoplasms/blood
MH  - Sensitivity and Specificity
MH  - Stomach Neoplasms/blood
MH  - Transforming Growth Factor alpha/*blood
EDAT- 1995/03/01 00:00
MHDA- 2001/03/28 10:01
CRDT- 1995/03/01 00:00
PHST- 1995/03/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2001/03/28 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 1995/03/01 00:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Mar;4(2):127-31.