Serum levels of transforming growth factor β1 are significantly correlated with venous invasion in patients with gastric cancer

Background and Aim: The significance of serum levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 in the development of gastric cancer is unclear. The purpose of this study is to determine whether serum TGF-beta 1 correlated with the clinicopathological findings of patients with gastric cancer. Methods: Transforming growth factor-beta 1 levels in the serum of 275 gastric cancer patients and 275 gender- and age-matched healthy controls were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a commercially available kit. Results: The mean level of serum TGF-beta 1 of gastric cancer patients (15.9 +/- 5.9 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that (13.9 +/- 7.4 ng/mL) of healthy controls (P < 0.01). The odds ratio for the subjects in the highest quartile (16.7 ng/mL or more) was 4.03 (95% confidence interval, 2.14-7.58), as compared with that for the subjects in the lowest quartile (0-9.5 ng/mL). Patients with venous invasion compared to those without venous invasion had significantly elevated serum TGF-beta 1 (17.3 +/- 7.2 vs 15.0 +/- 5.1 ng/mL; P = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups categorized by histological type, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Logistical regression analysis showed that venous invasion was significantly correlated with elevated serum TGF-beta 1 levels (P = 0.02). Conclusions: The present study showed that an elevated serum TGF-beta 1 level may be significantly correlated with venous invasion in gastric cancer patients. (C) 2005 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.