Elevated Levels of Plasma Transforming Growth Factor‐β in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

We measured the plasma transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) concentration in 14 patients with human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 9 age‐matched normal subjects using growth inhibition assay of mink lung epithelial cells. The calculated plasma TGF‐β concentration in the patients with HCC was 28.6 ± 27.9 ng/ml (mean± SE), showing significant elevation compared with that in 9 normal subjects (5.3 ± 3.3 ng/ml, P<0.01). In three cases, we could measure plasma TGF‐β levels before and after their treatment for HCC. The plasma TGF‐β levels decreased from 59.0 to 18.2 ng/ml after hepatic resection in one case, and from 24.0 to 10.7 ng/ml and from 12.4 to 3.4 ng/ml after transhepatic arterial embolization in the other two cases. These data indicate that plasma TGF‐β level is elevated in patients with HCC, probably due to release from HCC tissues.