Dynamic changes of serum hepatocyte growth factor in patients with gastric cancer before and after operation and its relationship with liver metastasis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in patients with gastric cancer before and after operation and its relationship with liver metastasis. Methods The clinical data of 120 patients with primary gastric cancer, who underwent operation in the First Alfiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between October 2014 and March 2016, were retrospectively analyzed. The differences in serum HGF levels before and after the operation were recorded. The postoperative serum HGF levels were compared between patients in different clinical stages, with/without lymph node metastasis, and with/without liver metastasis. The relationship between postoperative serum HGF levels and liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage was analyzed by Spearman correlation coefficient analysis. Results The serum HGF levels in 112 patients after radical operation and palliative operation were significantly lower than those before operation [ (2.05±1.18) μg/L vs (2.86±1.22) μg/L] (P 0.05) . The serum HGF levels in patients at TNM stage III~ IV were significantly higher than those in TNM stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ [ (4.37±2.84) μg/L vs (2.48±1.46) μg/L], the levels in patients with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis [ (3.72±2.14) μg/L vs (2.18±1.15) μg/L], and the serum HGF levels in patients with liver metastasis were significantly higher than those without [ (5.33±3.41) μg/L vs (2.26±1.37) μg/L] (P<0.05) . The postoperative serum HGF levels in patients with gastric cancer were positively correlated with liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (r=0.503, 0.599, 0.601, all P=0.000) . Conclusion The serum HGF levels in patients with gastric cancer are positively correlated with liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage, which can be used as the auxiliary index for reflecting the severity of disease and predicting the prognosis. Radical operation and palliative operation of gastric cancer can effectively regulate the serum HGF levels in patients, which favor the prognosis of patients. Key words: Gastric neoplasms; Hepatocyte; Hepatocyte growth factor; Neoplasm metastasis