title: Evidence for tumour necrosis factor/cachectin production in cancer.
abstract: Labile tumour-necrosis-factor-like (TNF) activity was detected by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 50% of 226 freshly obtained serum samples from cancer patients with active disease. In contrast, only 3% of 32 samples from normal subjects and 18% of 39 samples from cancer patients with no clinically evident disease were positive for this factor, with low levels of activity. Greater proportions of serum samples from patients with ovarian or oat-cell carcinoma were positive (69% and 63%) than those from patients with lymphoma (26%). RNA preparations from peripheral-blood mononuclear cells and solid tumours were probed with TNF complementary DNA; evidence of TNF messenger RNA was found in 8 of 11 samples of peripheral-blood mononuclear cells from cancer patients, but only 1 of 8 normal subjects, and in 2 of 6 colorectal tumours. As yet the inducing stimulus and the clinical significance of TNF production in cancer are not understood.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha