Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1996 Mar;73(5):654–658. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1996.114

Transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor levels in bladder cancer and their relationship to epidermal growth factor receptor.

J K Mellon 1, S Cook 1, P Chambers 1, D E Neal 1
PMCID: PMC2074354  PMID: 8605103

Abstract

We have examined levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) in neoplastic and non-neoplastic bladder tissue using a standard radioimmunoassay technique. Tumour samples had much higher TGF-alpha levels compared with EGF and TGF-alpha levels in malignant tissue were significantly higher than in benign bladder samples. There was, in addition, a difference in mean EGF levels from 'normal' bladder samples from non-tumour bearing areas of bladder in patients with bladder cancer compared with 'normal' bladder tissue obtained at the time of organ retrieval surgery. Levels of EGF and TGF-alpha did not correlate with levels of EGF receptor (EGFR) as determined by a radioligand binding method but levels of TGF-alpha > 10 ng gm-1 of tumour tissue did correlate with EGFR positivity defined using immunohistochemistry. These data suggest that TGF-alpha is the likely ligand for EGFR in bladder tumours.

Full text

PDF
654

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Berger M. S., Greenfield C., Gullick W. J., Haley J., Downward J., Neal D. E., Harris A. L., Waterfield M. D. Evaluation of epidermal growth factor receptors in bladder tumours. Br J Cancer. 1987 Nov;56(5):533–537. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1987.238. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bergkvist A., Ljungqvist A., Moberger G. Classification of bladder tumours based on the cellular pattern. Preliminary report of a clinical-pathological study of 300 cases with a minimum follow-up of eight years. Acta Chir Scand. 1965 Oct;130(4):371–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chaudhary V. K., FitzGerald D. J., Adhya S., Pastan I. Activity of a recombinant fusion protein between transforming growth factor type alpha and Pseudomonas toxin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Jul;84(13):4538–4542. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.13.4538. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fox S. B., Smith K., Hollyer J., Greenall M., Hastrich D., Harris A. L. The epidermal growth factor receptor as a prognostic marker: results of 370 patients and review of 3009 patients. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1994 Jan;29(1):41–49. doi: 10.1007/BF00666180. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fuse H., Mizuno I., Sakamoto M., Katayama T. Epidermal growth factor in urine from the patients with urothelial tumors. Urol Int. 1992;48(3):261–264. doi: 10.1159/000282347. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gavrilović J., Moens G., Thiery J. P., Jouanneau J. Expression of transfected transforming growth factor alpha induces a motile fibroblast-like phenotype with extracellular matrix-degrading potential in a rat bladder carcinoma cell line. Cell Regul. 1990 Dec;1(13):1003–1014. doi: 10.1091/mbc.1.13.1003. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gregory H., Thomas C. E., Willshire I. R., Young J. A., Anderson H., Baildam A., Howell A. Epidermal and transforming growth factor alpha in patients with breast tumours. Br J Cancer. 1989 Apr;59(4):605–609. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1989.122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gullick W. J., Hughes C. M., Mellon K., Neal D. E., Lemoine N. R. Immunohistochemical detection of the epidermal growth factor receptor in paraffin-embedded human tissues. J Pathol. 1991 Aug;164(4):285–289. doi: 10.1002/path.1711640403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kawamata H., Kameyama S., Nan L., Kawai K., Oyasu R. Effect of epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor beta 1 on growth and invasive potentials of newly established rat bladder carcinoma cell lines. Int J Cancer. 1993 Dec 2;55(6):968–973. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910550616. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kristensen J. K., Lose G., Lund F., Nexø E. Epidermal growth factor in urine from patients with urinary bladder tumors. Eur Urol. 1988;14(4):313–314. doi: 10.1159/000472968. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lau J. L., Fowler J. E., Jr, Ghosh L. Epidermal growth factor in the normal and neoplastic kidney and bladder. J Urol. 1988 Jan;139(1):170–175. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)42347-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mellon K., Wright C., Kelly P., Horne C. H., Neal D. E. Long-term outcome related to epidermal growth factor receptor status in bladder cancer. J Urol. 1995 Mar;153(3 Pt 2):919–925. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Messing E. M., Hanson P., Ulrich P., Erturk E. Epidermal growth factor--interactions with normal and malignant urothelium: in vivo and in situ studies. J Urol. 1987 Nov;138(5):1329–1335. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)43593-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Momose H., Kakinuma H., Shariff S. Y., Mitchell G. B., Rademaker A., Oyasu R. Tumor-promoting effect of urinary epidermal growth factor in rat urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Cancer Res. 1991 Oct 15;51(20):5487–5490. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Neal D. E., Sharples L., Smith K., Fennelly J., Hall R. R., Harris A. L. The epidermal growth factor receptor and the prognosis of bladder cancer. Cancer. 1990 Apr 1;65(7):1619–1625. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19900401)65:7<1619::aid-cncr2820650728>3.0.co;2-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Neal D. E., Smith K., Fennelly J. A., Bennett M. K., Hall R. R., Harris A. L. Epidermal growth factor receptor in human bladder cancer: a comparison of immunohistochemistry and ligand binding. J Urol. 1989 Mar;141(3):517–521. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)40877-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nicholson S., Sainsbury J. R., Needham G. K., Chambers P., Farndon J. R., Harris A. L. Quantitative assays of epidermal growth factor receptor in human breast cancer: cut-off points of clinical relevance. Int J Cancer. 1988 Jul 15;42(1):36–41. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910420108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. SAMOLS E., BILKUS D. A COMPARISON OF INSULIN IMMUNOASSAYS. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1964 Jan;115:79–84. doi: 10.3181/00379727-115-28836. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sainsbury J. R., Farndon J. R., Sherbet G. V., Harris A. L. Epidermal-growth-factor receptors and oestrogen receptors in human breast cancer. Lancet. 1985 Feb 16;1(8425):364–366. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(85)91385-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sarosdy M. F., Hutzler D. H., Yee D., von Hoff D. D. In vitro sensitivity testing of human bladder cancers and cell lines to TP-40, a hybrid protein with selective targeting and cytotoxicity. J Urol. 1993 Dec;150(6):1950–1955. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5347(17)35944-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Smith K., Fennelly J. A., Neal D. E., Hall R. R., Harris A. L. Characterization and quantitation of the epidermal growth factor receptor in invasive and superficial bladder tumors. Cancer Res. 1989 Nov 1;49(21):5810–5815. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Velu T. J. Structure, function and transforming potential of the epidermal growth factor receptor. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 1990 May 7;70(3):205–216. doi: 10.1016/0303-7207(90)90211-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Wright C., Mellon K., Johnston P., Lane D. P., Harris A. L., Horne C. H., Neal D. E. Expression of mutant p53, c-erbB-2 and the epidermal growth factor receptor in transitional cell carcinoma of the human urinary bladder. Br J Cancer. 1991 Jun;63(6):967–970. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1991.211. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES