Utility of plasma tumour necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta1 as predictors of survival and treatment outcome in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma.

We hypothesized that plasma level of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 may be a potential tool for diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of treatment outcome in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Plasma levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 were quantified in 100 NSCLC patients and 100 controls. Association of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 with response to therapy and survival was determined in 42 patients. An increased presence of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 was observed in NSCLC compared with controls. TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 levels did not correlate with survival and response to chemotherapy. TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 do not appear to be reliable markers for predicting survival and response to therapy in advanced NSCLC.