Abstract
Pleural effusion samples were obtained from 55 patients with malignant disease, including patients with primary lung cancers and those with a variety of other tumours metastatic to the pleura. The effusions were assayed for the presence of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), by both ELISA and bioassay. The presence of malignant cells in the effusions was also assessed. Detectable amounts of the factor, as judged by both criteria, were found in over 90% of all the effusions, including those from patients with a wide variety of carcinomas and also lymphomas. A wide range of HGF/SF levels were found for all tumour classes, some effusions containing high levels above 4 ng ml-1. It is concluded that tumours within the pleura and adjacent lung tissue are usually exposed to biologically significant levels of HGF/SF.
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Eagles, G., Warn, A., Ball, R. et al. Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor is present in most pleural effusion fluids from cancer patients. Br J Cancer 73, 377–381 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1996.64
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1996.64
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