PMID- 8635123
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19960709
LR  - 20190620
IS  - 0008-543X (Print)
IS  - 0008-543X (Linking)
VI  - 77
IP  - 6
DP  - 1996 Mar 15
TI  - Serum transforming growth factor alpha level as a marker of hepatocellular 
      carcinoma complicating cirrhosis.
PG  - 1056-60
AB  - BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) is alleged to play a 
      role in malignant progression as well as normal cell growth in an autocrine 
      manner and its serum levels have been reported to increase during this 
      progression. Most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) develop in cirrhotic livers in 
      which hepatocyte necrosis and regeneration prevail. The significance of serum TGF 
      alpha levels in the diagnosis of HCC complicating cirrhosis should be clarified. 
      METHODS: One hundred twenty-four patients with cirrhosis were studied, 80 with 
      HCC (HCC) patients and 44 without (LC) patients. There was no difference in 
      clinical features between the two groups. One hundred eighty-two healthy adults 
      were also studied as controls. Serum TGF alpha levels were measured by 
      enzyme-linked immunosorbent diffusion assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Serum TGF alpha 
      levels were significantly higher in HCC patients than in healthy adults or LC 
      patients (mean +/- SD: 45 +/- 40 vs. 21 +/- 15 or 25 +/- 19 pg/ml, respectively). 
      In LC patients, serum TGF alpha levels were significantly correlated with serum 
      albumin and total bilirubin levels (r = -0.44 and 0.32, respectively). When the 
      cutoff level was defined as 25 pg/ml from receiver operating characteristic 
      curve, sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of HCC in the presence of 
      cirrhosis were 69% and 66%, respectively. Serum TGF alpha levels were decreased 
      after successful treatment for HCC in 60% of the HCC patients. Serum TGF alpha 
      levels showed no correlation with serum alpha-fetoprotein levels; the levels were 
      greater than 25 pg/ml in 67% of the HCC patients whose serum alpha-fetoprotein 
      levels were within 20 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: Serum TGF alpha levels may provide 
      useful information for the diagnosis of HCC developing in the presence of 
      cirrhosis.
FAU - Tomiya, T
AU  - Tomiya T
AD  - First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 
      Japan.
FAU - Fujiwara, K
AU  - Fujiwara K
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - Cancer
JT  - Cancer
JID - 0374236
RN  - 0 (Biomarkers, Tumor)
RN  - 0 (Transforming Growth Factor alpha)
RN  - 0 (alpha-Fetoproteins)
SB  - IM
MH  - Biomarkers, Tumor/*blood
MH  - Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*blood/etiology
MH  - Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Liver Cirrhosis/*complications
MH  - Liver Neoplasms/*blood/etiology
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Sensitivity and Specificity
MH  - Transforming Growth Factor alpha/*blood
MH  - alpha-Fetoproteins/analysis
EDAT- 1996/03/15 00:00
MHDA- 2000/06/20 09:00
CRDT- 1996/03/15 00:00
PHST- 1996/03/15 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2000/06/20 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 1996/03/15 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19960315)77:6<1056::AID-CNCR8>3.0.CO;2-F [pii]
AID - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19960315)77:6<1056::aid-cncr8>3.0.co;2-f [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Cancer. 1996 Mar 15;77(6):1056-60. doi: 
      10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19960315)77:6<1056::aid-cncr8>3.0.co;2-f.