EXPRESSION AND PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF HCGβ IN DIGESTIVE TRACT MALIGNANCIES

7 INTRODUCTION 9 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 10 CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY OF CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN AND ITS SUBUNITS 10 BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF HCG AND ITS SUBUNITS 11 CLINICAL USE OF HCG DETERMINATIONS 12 Normal pregnancy 12 Pregnancy related disorders 12 Gestational trophoblastic disease and germ cell tumours 12 EXPRESSION OF FREE β-SUBUNIT OF HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN 13 HCGβ in healthy subjects and in benign conditions 13 HCGβ in malignant diseases 13 HCGβ in digestive tract malignancies 14 Molecular detection of hCGβ in neoplasms 14 COLORECTAL CANCER 15 Epidemiology of colorectal cancer 15 Staging of colorectal cancer 15 Diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer 16 Serum tumour markers in colorectal cancer 16 Other prognostic factors in colorectal cancer 18 GASTRIC CANCER 19 Epidemiology of gastric cancer 19 Staging of gastric cancer 19 Histological types of gastric cancer 20 Diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer 21 Serum tumour markers in gastric cancer 21 Other prognostic factors in gastric cancer 21 PANCREATIC CANCER 22 Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer 22 Staging of pancreatic cancer 22 Diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer 23 Serum tumour markers in pancreatic cancer 24 Other prognostic factors in pancreatic cancer 24 AIMS OF THE STUDY 25 MATERIALS AND METHODS 26 PATIENTS AND SAMPLES 26 Tissue samples (I) 26 Serum samples (II-V) 26 METHODS 27 Immunohistochemical staining procedure (I) 27 Serum Assays (II-V) 28