Urinary excretion of transforming growth factor-alpha in patients with transitional cell carcinoma

This study was performed to examine the involvement of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α) in urothelial tumorigenesis. TGF-α urine levels were measured in patients with urothelial carcinoma (n = 68), patients who were tumor-free (n = 58), patients with non-neoplastic inflammatory disease (n = 20), and normal controls (n = 39). Both inflammatory and neoplastic urologic diseases had elevated TGF-α urine levels (169.5 ng/gm and 116.7 ng/gm, respectively) as compared to normal controls (39.1 ng/gm)(p = 0.0001). For patients with active cancer, TGF-α levels were positively associated with histologic grading (P = 0.009), nodular shape, and expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in primary tumour (P = 0.03, respectively). But, there was no important relationship with staging classification, number and size of tumor (P > 0.1, respectively). TGF-α urine levels did not correlate with the serum content (n = 26; P > 0.5), or the immunohistochemical expression of TGF-α (n = 60) in corresponding tumor (P > 0.1). Significant factors in predicting patient survival were clinical staging nodular shape and size of tumor (P < 0.05, respectively). Our data implies that interaction of urinary TGF-α/urothelial epidermal growth factor receptor may play a positive role in the carcinogenesis of human urothelium.