title: Serum glutathione-S-transferase-pi as a tumor marker for gastrointestinal malignancies.
abstract: A glutathione-S-transferase-pi (GST-pi) immunoradiometric assay was devised as a potential marker for serodiagnosis of malignant disease. Elevated serum GST-pi levels were observed in patients with various gastrointestinal malignancies including gastric, esophageal, colonic, pancreatic, hepatocellular, and biliary tract cancers. Patients with benign gastrointestinal diseases had normal GST-pi, but some patients with chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis had slightly elevated levels. Over 80% of patients with Stage III or IV gastric cancer and even about 50% of those with Stage I and II had elevated serum GST-pi. After surgery serum GST-pi levels returned to normal. Resected stomach cancers were immunohistochemically positive for GST-pi. During chemotherapy of colonic, gastric, and hepatocellular cancers with a series of different drugs, GST-pi changed in a biphasic manner; increases during initial phases of therapy may reflect acquisition of drug resistance by the tumor. In general, serum GST-pi assays provide a sensitive and reliable marker for gastrointestinal malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niitsu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arisato
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kohgo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Listowsky
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000201:enzymology; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005982:Glutathione Transferase