Increased serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer and to investigate the clinical significance of these levels in association with tumor stage and histologic differentiation. Also, serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were measured after curative surgical resection. METHODS: Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were measured in 42 consecutive patients with colorectal cancer before surgery, in 21 patients after surgical resection (part of the 42 preoperative patients), and in 20 healthy volunteers. We used TGF-α Assay(TM). RESULTS: Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer were significantly higher than in the healthy control group (P = 0.001). Significant elevations in serum levels of transforming growth factor-α were found in 50 percent (21/42) of patients with colorectal cancer when the mean + 2 standard deviations (80.4 pg/ml) of the control group were used as the upper limit of the normal range. Serum levels of transforming growth factor- α tended to decrease with increasing tumor size (n = 31; r = -0.52; P = 0.002). Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α before surgery (89.7 ± 44.4 pg/ml; n = 21) significantly decreased to 60.3 ± 19.8 pg/ml after surgical resections of tumors (P = 0.017). Serum levels of transforming growth factor-α completely decreased to the same serum levels of the control group after surgical resections in all patients who had serum levels of transforming growth factor-α greater than mean + 2 standard deviations (80.4 pg/ml) of the control group preoperatively (n = 11; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of preoperative transforming growth factor-α in patients with colorectal cancer appeared to be higher than levels measured in control subjects. Serum levels of transforming growth factor-a before surgery significantly decreased after surgical resections of tumors. Additional studies are warranted to determine if serum levels of transforming growth factor-α may be useful as a potential biomarker in the management of patients with colorectal cancer.