1981 Volume 28 Issue 6 Pages 785-791
Serum thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) in 169 patients with various cancers was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Eleven patients showed a high serum TBG level (>35μg/ml). Two of them had been treated with estrogen for prostate cancer. One patient had high serum TBG with serum hepatitis. Another 8 cases had normal liver function and also normal levels serum estrogen. Thus, about 4.7%(8/169) of the cancer patients had high serum TBG and mild hyperthyroxinemia caused by unknown mechanisms.
The high TBG level in these patients continued until just before death, or in some cases decreased to nomal after removal of cancer tumors by operation.
Caner is occasionally associated with an increase in serum TBG. Although the mechanism is not clear, the increased TBG in the cancerous state is interesting and has significance as a tumor marker.