Serum hepatocyte growth factor and cancer mortality in an apparently healthy Japanese population.
BACKGROUND
In patients with cancer, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is elevated and is a predictor of prognosis. We investigated whether serum HGF was a predictive marker for cancer death in a population of community-dwelling Japanese.


METHODS
We studied 1492 apparently healthy Japanese adults who underwent health examinations in 1999. Those who reported a history of liver disease or malignancy on a baseline questionnaire were excluded, and plasma HGF was measured in the remaining 1470 participants, who were followed periodically for 10 years. Multivariate proportional hazards regression was used to estimate cancer mortality.


RESULTS
A total of 169 participants died during follow-up (61 from cancer, 32 from cerebrocardiovascular disease, and 76 from other diseases). Mean HGF at baseline was significantly higher among decedents than among survivors (0.26 ± 0.11 vs 0.23 ± 0.09 ng/ml, respectively; P < 0.01). The Cox proportional hazards model showed that age, systolic blood pressure, HGF (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06-1.52; P = 0.009), albumin level, smoking status, and creatinine were independent predictors of all-cause death. Age, HGF (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.65; P = 0.02), and total cholesterol were independent predictive markers for cancer death.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum HGF was a predictor of cancer death in an apparently healthy population of community-dwelling Japanese.
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardio-Vascular Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan.
Maki
M
Otsuka
Hisashi
H
Adachi
David R
DR
Jacobs
Yuji
Y
Hirai
Mika
M
Enomoto
Ako
A
Fukami
Shun-ichi
S
Kumagae
Yasuki
Y
Nanjo
Kuniko
K
Yoshikawa
Eishi
E
Esaki
Eita
E
Kumagai
Kanako
K
Yokoi
Kinuka
K
Ogata
Eri
E
Tsukagawa
Akiko
A
Kasahara
Kyoko
K
Ohbu
Tsutomu
T
Imaizumi
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor