[Clinical study of the epidermal growth factor contents in urine, plasma and tissue from the patients with urological diseases].

Contents of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in urine, plasma and tissues in urological diseases were estimated by enzyme immunoassay using beads bound to the anti-EGF antibody, and the clinical significance of the presence of EGF in the disease state was examined. There was no difference in EGF level between healthy male and female subjects (n = 22), and the level showed a tendency to decrease with age (p less than 0.05). The subjects were 19 cases of prostatic cancer, 7 of renal cancer, and 12 of urinary bladder cancer. The difference in EGF level between the healthy subjects and patients was not significant, and the levels were shown to be lower in 8 cases of renal insufficiency (including patients on hemodialysis:HD)(p less than 0.01). Plasma EGF levels in the 30 healthy subjects revealed no significant differences related to sex or age. Plasma EGF levels were lower in 42 cases of renal insufficiency (before and after HD), and in 7 cases of renal cancer (p less than 0.01); they ware significantly lower in 15 cases of prostatic cancer (p less than 0.05). In tissues including tumor sites, EGF levels were higher particularly in the prostatic gland tissue (hypertrophy and cancer regions). Thus, urinary and plasma EGF levels in urological diseases may be useful parameters of renal function, but its relationship with malignant diseases is still unknown. The EGF level should be explored in relation with the EGF receptor.