INCREASED TRANSFORMING-GROWTH-FACTOR BETA-1 PLASMA-LEVEL IN PATIENTS WITH RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA - A TUMOR-SPECIFIC MARKER

Purpose: The most worrying problem with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) see ms to be the prediction of metastases by means of tumor-specific marke rs. Therefore, much effort is committed to the development of new mark ers. Materials and Methods: The level of latent transforming growth fa ctor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) was measured in plasma samples by ELISA. Thes e samples were collected from patients with RCC before they underwent radical nephrectomy, from patients 1 h after extracorporeal lithotrips y, from patients with pyelonephritis, and from healthy controls. Resul ts: In all cases of RCC the levels of latent TGF-beta 1 in plasma were much higher (n = 20, 41.0 +/- 13.9 ng/ml, range 19.3-78.1 ng/ml) than in healthy controls (n = 20, 3.8 +/- 2.9 ng/ml, range 0.6-9.9 ng/ml, p < 0.0001). The TGF-beta 1 levels in plasma after extracorporeal lith otripsy (n = 20, 7.4 +/- 4.64 ng/ml, range 2.9-21.7 ng/ml, p < 0.01) a nd in patients suffering from pyelonephritis (n = 20, 18.93 +/- 14.2 n g/ml, range 4.2-46.7 ng/ml, p < 0.001) were also higher than in health y controls. Conclusion: We conclude that increased levels of latent TG F-beta 1 are common in the plasma of RCC patients. The TGF-beta 1 plas ma level in RCC was found to be significantly higher than in cases of inflammation. Thus, TGF-beta 1 is a possible tumor-prognostic marker i n RCC.