title: Increase in the circulating level of hepatocyte growth factor in pancreatic cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been reported the cause of many biological events, including cell proliferation, invasiveness, morphogenesis, and angiogenesis. Elevated HGF content in tumor tissue was reported to predict a more aggressive biology in breast and gastric cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty patients with invasive pancreatic cancer investigated. Venous blood samples were collected before the surgery. Sera were obtained by centrifugation and stored at -70 degrees C until assayed. The control group created from healthy individuals. Serum concentrations of soluble HGF were measured by the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean value of serum soluble HGF in patients with invasive pancreatic cancer was 497.2 +/- 53.8 pg/ml and that of control group was 53.6 +/- 7.5 pg/ml and the difference was significant (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The serum levels of soluble HGF might reflect the severity of invasive pancreatic cancer and deserve further evaluation (Tab. 2, Ref. 19). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.
authors.affiliation: Department of 2nd General Surgery, Haseki Training Hospital, Instanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kemik
authors.forename: Sevim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purisa
authors.forename: Ahu Sarbay
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kemik
authors.forename: Sefa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuzun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor