title: Serum levels of c-erbB-2 protein in digestive diseases.
abstract: The clinical significance of the measurement of c-erbB-2 oncogene product was evaluated. The subjects consisted of 404 patients, including 248 with cancer of the digestive organs and 128 with benign digestive diseases. Serum c-erbB-2 protein levels were measured by sandwich immunoenzyme assay. The positive rates of c-erbB-2 protein, at a cut-off value of 17.0 U/ml, were, for cancers: hepatocellular carcinoma 61.6%, biliary tract cancer 54.8%, pancreatic cancer 25.0%, esophageal cancer 33.3%, gastric cancer 16.9%, and colorectal cancer 5.0%. For benign digestive diseases, the rates were: liver cirrhosis 63.3%, chronic hepatitis 43.2%, acute hepatitis 42.9%, other liver diseases 42.8%, cholelithiasis 30.0%, and chronic pancreatitis 0%. Serum c-erbB-2 protein levels were significantly correlated with the markers of hepatic functional reserve, the indocyanine green retention rate and the hepaplastin test. These findings suggest that serum c-erbB-2 protein levels are greatly influenced by liver dysfunction and that their clinical usefulness as a serum tumor marker is questionable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kanazawa University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Motoo
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawabu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mouri
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okai
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D004067:Digestive System Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000097:blood*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins