title: [Association of serum transforming growth factor-β1 with radiation injury and survival of patients with early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the changes in serum transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in patients with early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after radiotherapy and explore the correlation of serum TGF-β1 with radiation injury and disease-free survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  The average serum TGF-β1 level (50.2∓3.2 ng/ml) determined from 32 healthy volunteers was used as the standard value for NPC patients in this trial. Fifty-seven patients with early-stage (T1-2N0-1M0) NPC without prior treatment were divided into two groups with serum TGF-β1 level before treatment lower than or equal to the standard value (group A, 29 cases) and a level beyond the standard value (group B, 28 cases). Serum TGF-β1 level was determined in all the patients before, during and after the radiotherapy to evaluate the radiation injury and therapeutic effect.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum TGF-β1 level before radiotherapy was significantly lower in group A than in group B (35.4∓1.4 vs 58.8∓1.0 ng/ml, P<0.05). After radiotherapy, acute radiation mucositis and skin reaction was significantly severer in group B (P<0.05). The serum TGF-β1 level before radiotherapy was significantly higher in patients with grade 3 acute radiation mucositis and skin reaction than in those with injuries below grade 3 (54.0∓2.2 vs 42.0∓2.3 ng/ml and 54.3∓2.4 vs 43.4∓2.2 ng/ml, P<0.05). The two groups showed no significant differences in the locoregional failure rate (3.4% vs 7.1%), distant metastasis rate (3.4% vs 10.8%) or disease-free survival (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Radiotherapy can significantly decrease serum TGF-β1 level in early NPC patients. Serum TGF-β1 level before radiotherapy can help predict the degree of acute radiation mucositis and skin reaction, but shows no correlation with disease-free survival of early-stage NPC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Panyu District People's Hospital, Guangzhou, China. guorongzou@tom.com
authors.forename: Guorong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jiehong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jiazhu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jishi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yihua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077274:Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000097:blood*; D015996:Survival Rate; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1