INCREASE IN THE CIRCULATING LEVEL OF HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR IN GASTRIC-CANCER PATIENTS

We measured serum concentrations of hapatocyte growth factor (HGF) in patients with gastric cancer and compared these with the histological findings and conventional tumour markers, including CEA, CA19-9 and CA 125, for evaluation of the significance of serum HGF levels as a tumou r marker. The HGF levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbe nt assay (ELISA) system. The average levels of serum HGF in 89 healthy control subjects, 104 patients with primary gastric cancer and 15 pat ients with recurrent gastric cancer were 0.31 +/- O.11 ng ml(-1), 0.42 +/- 0.50 ng ml(-1) and 0.92 +/- 0.39 ng ml(-1) respectively. The aver age level in patients with recurrent disease was significantly higher than in healthy control subjects and in primary cancer patients (P<0.0 01 and P<0.003 respectively). Of 104 patients with primary gastric can cer, 35 (33.7%) showed an aberrant increase in the circulating level o f HGF. The increased HGF levels were significantly associated with the degrees of histological tumour invasion and venous invasion. Of 15 pa tients with recurrent gastric cancer, 14 (93.3%) showed an aberrant in crease. No correlation was found between serum HGF levels and CEA leve ls, CA19-9 levels and CA125 levels. However, the rate of the aberrant increase in HGF levels was significantly higher than that of any other tumour markers, including CEA, CA19-9 and CA125, in primary gastric c ancer patients. In conclusion, the circulating levels of HGF were elev ated in approximately one-third of patients with primary gastric cance r, particularly in those with high grades of histological tumour invas ion and venous invasion, and frequently in patients with distant metas tases, suggesting that HGF might play important roles in the tumour pr ogression of gastric cancer. Furthermore, serum HGF levels may be of v alue as a tumour marker in patients with gastric cancer.