title: Serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor in patients with liver metastases from breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have shown that the pleiotropic cytokine hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) and its receptor c-Met play major roles in the malignant progression of numerous tumors. For patients with breast cancer liver metastases, increased serum levels of HGF/SF have been reported. We studied the relationship between the clinical course of the disease and the serum levels of HGF/SF in such patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 51 patients treated for breast cancer liver metastases. Serum concentrations of HGF/SF were measured before each therapy cycle and compared to the corresponding tumor marker levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean serum levels of HGF/SF in patients with liver metastases were increased above the reported reference levels of primary breast cancer patients. Serum levels of HGF/SF were correlated with tumor marker levels in a logarithmic relation (r = 0.47, p < 0.001). In some cases serum concentrations of HGF/SF changed similarly to the course of the corresponding tumor markers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum levels of HGF/SF are associated with the clinical course of metastatic breast cancer patients with liver metastases. Further studies are required to clarify the potential value of the HGF/SF serum concentration as a tumor marker. HGF/SF and its receptor c-Met should be further evaluated as therapeutic targets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany. Michael_Eichbaum@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Michael H R
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Eichbaum
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: de Rossi
authors.forename: Sepp
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaul
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bruckner
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schneeweiss
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sohn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000556:secondary*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D018396:Mucin-1; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met