Examination of transforming growth factor beta1 expression in the serum and tumor tissue of gastric cancer.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) expression in serum and tissue of gastric cancer and factors of clinical pathology, and to evaluate its clinical significance as a malignant potential parameter. Serological analysis of TGF-beta1 was studied in 110 patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery; there were 39 control subjects. TGF-beta1 immunohistochemical expression was studied in 50 specimens of 110 gastric cancers. The positive rate was compared with factors of clinical pathology. Serological analysis indicated that the preoperative serum TGF-beta1 level was significantly higher in the group that had invasion of subserosa and penetration of serosa than in the group that had invasion of mucosa, muscularis mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis propia (P = 0.04). Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that TGF-beta1 expression of gastric cancer that was a high-grade malignancy had a higher positive rate. The study shows that evaluation of TGF-beta1 level in preoperative serum and tumor tissue of gastric cancer can be useful for determining a parameter of grade of malignancy in gastric cancer.