Tumor Markers in Breast Cancer

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer all over the world with an increasing incidence yearly, necessitating early diagnosis, efficient multimodality of treatment and effective screening programs.

Objective: To evaluate the importance of estimating tumor markers levels in  diagnosing, monitoring and treating primary as well as  metastatic breast cancer cases.

Methods: A prospective study for patients with breast diseases done in the Al-Karama Teaching Hospital  as well as in the private work. Thirty  patients with breast cancer  were selected  as a study group for whom serum levels of cerebellum purkinje antibody, cancer 15.3 and carcinoembryonic antigen were estimated in the Medical City Teaching Laboratories. These patients were followed up for a period from June, 2007 to September, 2008 and were compared with their clinical as well as the pathological staging of their cancer disease. Twenty patients with variable benign breast lesions were selected as a control group in the same place and their antibodies levels were measured also as well as followed up for the same period.

Results: In the studied group: 40% of patients who underwent surgery and received adjuvant therapy showed no increase in the markers. 10% of the studied group who already underwent surgery only showed no increase in the markers. 16.6% of the studied group in stage one or two of their cancer prior to any treatment modality showed no elevation in the markers. 13.3% of the studied group in stage three or four prior to any treatment modality showed no elevation in tumor markers. 6.6% of patients with local recurrence showed an increase in tumor markers, but declined after receiving treatment. 10% of the studied group with distant metastasis showed an increase of the markers that did not decline after treatment.

Conclusion: cerebellum purkinje cell antibodies, cancer 15.3 and carcinoembryonic  antigens are found frequently in breast cancer patients’ serum as well as in many non-cancerous conditions. Their concentrations are found to be increased in cases of residual disease, local recurrence and distant metastasis, while their concentrations were decreased after receiving a multimodality therapy.

These results showed that these tumor markers are of limited value in detecting early breast cancer, but are of value in monitoring the response to treatment in advanced cases or in detecting local recurrences or metastasis.

Keywords: Cerebellum, Embryonic, Metastasis.