title: Elevated urinary transforming growth factor-beta1 level as a tumour marker and predictor of poor survival in cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: To assess the clinical relevance of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), urinary TGF-beta1 and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were determined in 94 patients with cirrhotic HCC, 94 age- and sex-matched patients with cirrhosis alone and 50 healthy adults. TGF-beta1 level in HCC was higher than in cirrhosis alone or in healthy controls (each P = 0.0001). There is an inverse correlation between TGF-beta1 and AFP levels (r = -0.292, P = 0.004). Significantly higher TGF-beta1 level was found in HCC patients with worsening Child-Pugh stages, diffuse HCC, tumour size > 3 cm, multilobular tumour and AFP < or = 20 ng ml(-1). TGF-beta1 level decreased after complete treatment with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (P = 0.0001). The median survival in HCC patients with raised TGF-beta1 was shorter than those with normal TGF-beta1 (P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis indicated that TGF-beta1 and AFP were significantly correlated with the presence of HCC. In addition, TGF-beta1 could be used as a diagnostic marker for HCC, particularly in tumours with low AFP production. In conclusion, elevated urinary TGF-beta1 level is a tumour marker and predictor of poor survival for cirrhotic HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jeng
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Z Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D015996:Survival Rate; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000652:urine*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins