RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation of transfer growth factor (TGF-beta1) and beta-glucuronidase (beta-GCD) on the occurrence and progress of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The expression of TGF-beta1 and beta-GCD in the pancreatic cancer tissue and normal pancreatic tissue was determined synchronously using ABC method of immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The percentage of TGF-beta1 positive cells was significantly higher in pancreatic cancer tissue (43.8%+/-5.2%) than in adjacent pancreatic tissue (28.7%+/-3.6%, P<0.01). The worse the cancer cells differentiated and lymph nodes metastasis, the more over-expression of TGF-beta1. The percentage of beta-GCD positive cells was also significantly higher in the pancreatic cancer tissue (62.5%+/-4.1%) than in the adjacent pancreatic tissue (33.5%+/-2.8%, P<0.01). The degree of over-expression of beta-GCD was related to the degree of cancer cells differentiation, but not to the lymph nodes metastasis. The expression of TGF-beta1 was significantly correlated with the expression of beta-GCD in pancreatic cancer tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The genesis of pancreatic cancer results from multi-factor, multi-step and multi-gene variation. The synchronous detection of TGF-beta1 and beta-GCD helps to determine the malignant degree of tumors and the prognosis of patients with such disease.