Many types of human malignant tumor have been reported to amplify transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) gene and overexpress its protein. However, little work has been done about the content of TGF-beta 1 protein in tissue and blood of patients with malignant tumors. TGF-beta 1 protein of tissue (n = 29) and serum TGF-beta 1 levels in patients with gastric carcinoma (n = 62) were compared with those in normal subjects (n = 10) using a TGF-beta 1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Also, expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA (n = 20) and immunohistochemical distribution of the protein (n = 70) in gastric carcinoma tissues were studied. The immunohistochemical expression of TGF-beta 1 protein was significantly correlated with the tissue TGF-beta 1 content (r = 0.45 : p < 0.05). The content of TGF-beta 1 was 311 ± 212 ng/g wet carcinoma tissue. TGF-beta 1 mRNA was expressed in gastric carcinoma cells. However, unexpectedly serum TGF-beta 1 levels in patients with gastric carcinoma were lower (97.1 ± 29.4 ng/ml) than those in normal subjects (140.3 ± 85.7 ng/ml, p < 0.05). Our results support that the tumor cells directly produce TGF-beta 1 and that semiquantitative immunohistochemical staining method for TGF-beta 1 protein is a validative method for TGF-beta 1 protein quantitation.