Increase in the circulating level of hepatocyte growth factor in pancreatic cancer patients.
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.
Kemik
Ozgur
O
Department of 2nd General Surgery, Haseki Training Hospital, Instanbul, Turkey.
Purisa
Sevim
S
Kemik
Ahu Sarbay
AS
Tuzun
Sefa
S
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
D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor