Serum levels of transforming growth factor beta 31 in patients with breastcancer

Hypothesis: Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) may be related to breast cancer progression. Design: Prospective study. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Sixty consecutive patients with invasive breast cancer undergoing surgery were prospectively included and evaluated. The control group consi sted of 14 patients with benign breast tumors (7 with fibrocystic disease a nd 7 with fibroadenoma). Intervention: Venous blood samples were collected before the surgery. Sera were obtained by centrifugation and stored at -70 degreesC until assayed. S erum concentrations of TGF-beta1 were measured by quantitative sandwich enz yme immunoassay. Data on primary tumor stage, age, estrogen receptor status , lymph node status, distant metastases, and TNM staging (according to the Union Internationale Contre 1e Cancer) were reviewed and recorded. Main Outcome Measures: Measurements of preoperative serum TGF-beta1 levels in patients with breast cancer. Results: The mean SD value of serum TGF-beta1 in patients with invasive bre ast cancer was 498.7 +/- 249.7 pg/mL and in the control group was 495.2 +/- 225.5 pg/mL (P=.96). However, there were significantly higher serum levels of TGF-beta1 in patients with more advanced lymph node status (P=.04), mor e advanced TNM stage (P=.005), and poorer histological grade (P=.02). In mu ltivariate analysis, TNM staging (P=.02) was demonstrated to be the indepen dent factor related to significantly higher serum levels of TGF-beta1. Conclusions: Patients with more advanced TNM stages were shown to have high er serum TGF-beta1 levels. Thus, serum TGF-beta1 levels may reflect the sev erity of invasive breast.