URINARY-EXCRETION OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-ALPHA IN PATIENTS WITH TRANSITIONAL-CELL CARCINOMA

This study was performed to examine the involvement of transforming gr owth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) in urothelial tumorigenesis. TGF-alpha u rine levels were measured in patients with urothelial carcinoma (n = 6 8), patients who were tumor-free (n = 58), patients with non-neoplasti c inflammatory disease (n = 20), and normal controls (n = 39). Both in flammatory and neoplastic urologic diseases had elevated TGF-alpha uri ne levels (169.5 ng/gm and 116.7 ng/gm, respectively) as compared to n ormal controls (39.1 ng/gm)(P = 0.0001). For patients with active canc er; TGF-alpha levels were positively associated with histologic gradin g (P = 0. 009), nodular shape, and expression of epidermal growth fact or receptor in primary tumor (P = 0.03, respectively). But, there was no important relationship with staging classification, number and size of tumor (P > 0.1, respectively). TGF-alpha urine levels did not corr elate with the serum content (n = 26; P > 0.5), or the immunohistochem ical expression of TGF-alpha (n = 60) in corresponding tumor (P > 0.1) . Significant factors in predicting patient survival were clinical sta ging, nodular shape and size of tumor (P < 005, respectively). Our dat a implies that interaction of urinary TGF-alpha /urothelial epidermal growth factor receptor may play a positive role in the carcinogenesis of human urothelium.