ELEVATED SERUM LEVELS OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-ALPHA IN BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS

Previous studies suggest that transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF al pha) may have the potential of a tumor marker. Since the levels of ser um TGF alpha in cancer patients and healthy individuals have not been reported, we determined the serum TGF alpha levels of 83 breast cancer patients and 74 healthy individuals by using a TGF alpha radioimmunno assay kit. All of the cancer patients' sera were positive for TGF alph a; their TGF alpha concentrations ranged from 210 to 740 pg/ml, with a mean of 353 +/- 98 pg/ml. Sixty-seven percent (50 cases) of normal se ra were positive for TGF alpha; the levels ranged from 120 to 207 pg/m l, with a mean of 144 +/- 17 pg/ml. The difference in serum TGF alpha levels between cancer patients of different disease stages and healthy individuals was found to be statistically significant by Student t-te st and the Mann-Whitney test. No correlation was found between serum c arcinoembryonic antigen and TGF alpha levels. The potential of serum i mmunoreactive TGF alpha as a marker for breast cancer warrants further investigation.