Breast cancer proliferative activity: is it the source of serum free DNA?

To study the relationship between serum DNA and breast cancer proliferative activity, then compare the diagnostic and prognostic values of serum DNA, TPS and CEA. A total of 100 breast cancer patients before surgery and 50 apparently healthy controls were analyzed for serum DNA, TPS and CEA. Serum DNA levels were nonsignificantly correlated with serum TPS levels. Serum DNA, TPS and CEA levels were significantly higher in patients than controls. Using ROC curve analysis, serum TPS and DNA had the highest AUC compared to serum CEA. Neither serum TPS, DNA nor CEA correlated with breast cancer clinicopathological data. Only serum CEA was significantly correlated with patients' disease-free survival. Neither Breast cancer mass nor proliferative activity is the source of serum free DNA. Serum TPS is superior to DNA and CEA as a diagnostic marker for breast cancer. Only preoperative serum CEA has a prognostic role in predicting relapse of breast cancer patients, but not serum TPS or DNA

Association of body mass index and serum adipocytokines with breast cancer risk in Egyptian premenopausal females in Alexandria

To analyze the association between obesity and breast cancer risk among premenopausal females in Alexandria, Egypt. Blood samples were collected from 30 newly diagnosed, histologically-confirmed breast cancer patients before surgery and 30 age-and menstrual status-matched healthy controls. Standardized questionnaires concerning age at presentation, age at menarche, parity, body mass index [BMI], electromagnetic radiation [EMR] exposure, lactation and oral contraceptive intake were completed by the same researcher. Serum levels of leptin and adiponectin were assayed simultaneously. Univariate analysis showed that EMR exposure, age at presentation>30 years, nulliparity, artificial lactation and increased BMI were significantly associated with breast cancer risk [p<0.05]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that EMR exposure [p=0.003] and age at presentation>30 years [p=0.02] both were significant independent risk factors. EMR exposure and female age>30 years are the most important risk factors in predicting breast cancer in Egyptian premenopausal females so we recommend them to do periodic breast self-examination specially during the fourth decade of life and to avoid overexposure to EMR

Association between estrogen receptor a gene polymorphism and the risk of breast cancer in a group of Egyptian women

Estrogen receptor [ER] is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates estrogen actions in target tissues. Several common polymorphisms of the ER-alpha gene have been reported to be associated with alterations in receptor expression and function. We evaluated the hypothesis that genetic polymorphisms in the ER-alpha gene may be associated with breast cancer risk in Egyptians. In this study the involvement of two RFLPs at the ER-alpha gene locus, denoted as PvuII and XbaI in breast cancer were examined in 40 breast cancer cases and 33 age frequency-matched controls. A case-control comparison was performed and the genotype distributions examined according to different tumor and population parameters. PvuII polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer [OR = 5.14, P=0.01], while there was no significant difference in genotype frequency of the XbaI polymorphism between controls and cases. The PvuII polymorphism was also associated with elevated breast cancer risk in premenopausal cases [OR=7.00, p=0.049]. In addition, significant association was found in patients with LN metastasis carrying the ER-alpha PvuII T allele [OR=7.14, p=0.013]. These results suggest that biomarkers for genetic polymorphisms could be used for the identification of breast cancer risk among Egyptian women

Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 [IGF-1] and its binding protein 3 [IGFBP3] in relation to estrogen in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen with and without vitamin A

This study included 30 postmenopausal women with breast cancer stages II and III. They were divided into two groups according to the line of adjuvant treatment [tamoxifen, oral tables of 10 mg twice daily or tamoxifen with vitamin A, oral tables 200 mg daily of vitamin A] as well as 15 normal healthy postmenopausal women matched in age with the patients group. The study aimed to investigate the effect of an antioxidant [vitamin A] besides tamoxifen as an adjuvant treatment in postmenopausal females with breast cancer as a reflection of change on the serum levels of IGF-I, its binding protein 3 [IGFBP3] and estrogen which were determined by immunoradiometric assay [IRMA] and radioimmunoassay [RIA]. After six months of adjuvant treatment with tamoxifen or tamoxifen with vitamin A, a statistically significant decrease in serum IGF-I and estrogen and a statistically significant increase in serum IGFBP3 level were observed

Alterations of erythrocyte membrane lipids and adenosine triphosphatases in breast cancer patients treated with CMF: a role of antioxidant supplementation

This study was carried out on 20 premenopausal females with breast cancer submitted to modified radical mastectomy, divided into two groups: the first received cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil [CMF] as adjuvant chemotherapy and the second was given antioxidant together with the same dose of CMF for 6 cycles. Ten healthy females were served as controls. The effect of CMF with and without antioxidant supplementation on etythrocyte membrane lipids, [Na[+]/K[+]] and [Ca[2+]-Mg[2+]] adenosine triphosphatases [ATPases] in premenopausal breast cancer patients was tudied. There were significant alterations in erythrocyte membrane lipids including holesterol, phospholipids and fatty acid pattern as well as a significant increase in lipid peroxidation, in CMF-treated breast cancer patients as compared with controls was observed. These results could be explained on the basis of increased hydrolysis of fatty acyl chains of membrane phospholipids induced by increased free radical formation. Regarding the activities of erythrocyte membrane [Na[+]/K[+] and [Ca[2]-Mg[2]]-APases, both were significantly lower in cancer patients after surgery and after CMF treatment as compared with controls. After antioxidant supplementation to CMF-treated breast cancer patients, significant alterations in most of studied parameters, approaching normal values, were observed when compared with those of patients receiving CMF alone. This could be explained on the basis of a reduction in lipid peroxide levels due to the decrease n free radical stress. Accordingly, antioxidant supplementation during treatment with CMF may be of benefit in protection against the toxic effect of CMF and its metabolites among breast cancer patients

Cytokine patterns, neutrophil chemotactic activity, complement component-3 and circulating immune complexes relationship to clinical staging and treatment of breast cancer

Breast cancer cell behaviour from growth to spread may be regulated by cytokines. The exact role of these cytokines however is not fully understood. We aimed to study the level of IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, CI, C3 and CIC in premenopausal breast cancer females in relation to different clinical stages before and after 3 and 6 cycles of CMF and CAF. The study included 36 premenopausal females; twenty four were with recently detected breast cancer of clinical stages II, III, IV and twelve were normal healthy control. Breast cancer group was divided into two subgroups. The results revealed a remarkable statistical significant decrease [P<0.001] in the level of cytokines, C1 and C3 in both malignant subgroups before chemotherapy when compared to control group. On the other hand, there was a statistical significant increase [P<0.001] in the level of CIC in both malignant subgroups before chemotherapy when compared to control group. Also, there was a statistical significant increase [P<0.001] in the level of CIC in patients with clinical stage IV when compared with patients of clinical stages II and III before chemotherapy. There was no statistical significant difference in all studied immunological parameters between both malignant subgroups after 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy. There was positive correlation between the different immunological parameters after 6 cycles of chemotherapy in both malignant subgroups. In conclusion, the suppressive immune response may have a role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Chemotherapeutic drugs may improve the immune response in some breast cancer patients while in other cases they may cause more impairment of the immunity. The suppressive immune effect is more pronounced by CAF regimen than CMF and in advanced clinical stage IV than in clinical stages II and III breast cancer patients

Interferon gamma [IFN-gamma] production in malignant lymphomas before and after treatment

Homan interferon-gamma [IFN- gamma] is an important immunomodulatory protein produced predominantly by T-cells. This study investigated the relation between serum level of IFN-gamma and different clinical stages and pathological types of Hodgkin's disease [HD] and Non-Hodgkin' Lymphoma [NHL] patients before and after treatment. The serum level of IFN- gamma was estimated in a total of 18 patients with NHL and 20 with HD, as well as 24 healthy individuals of matched age and sex. There was a statistically significant decrease in IFN-gamma production in untreated NHL and HD patients regardless of their clinical stages or pathological types as compared to the control group. The level of IFN- gamma in patients with NHL was significantly decreased in clinical stages III and IV as compared to clinical stages I and II. Moreover, the lowest production of IFN- gamma was encountered in high pathological grades as compared to low and intermediate grades. Also, there was a significant decrease in the IFN- gamma production in HD patients with late clinical stages III and IV and advanced pathological types [mixed cellularity and lymphocytic depletion] than in patients with early clinical stages I and II and pathological types [lymphocytic predominance and nodular sclerosis]. Effective chemo- or radio-therapy increased the serum level of IFN- gamma significantly. The results point out to the significance of measuring the serum level of IFN- gamma in NHL and HD patients for monitoring the response to chemotherapy or radiotherapy and the possible clinical use of IFN- gamma as an immunopotentiating agent in the treatment of malignant lymphomas

Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-I [ICAM-1] in tissues and serum before and after treatment of colon carcinoma

Cellular adhesion molecules have been demonstrated to play an important role in the progression and metastasis of malignancy. The aim of our study was to correlate the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-1] in normal colonic tissues versus cancer tissues and its serum levels before treatment as well as the correlation of sICAM-1 before and after surgery and 6 cycles of chemotherapy and its relation to clinical staging and pathological grades in an attempt to find its role in diagnosis and prognosis of colon carcinoma. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of adhesion molecule ICAM-1 in 30 primary colon carcinomas. The normal colonic tissue from the same patients served as tissue control. We studied the serum concentration of circulating ICAM-1 in these patients before and after surgery and 6 cycles of chemotherapy together with 30 controls. Strong to moderate immunostaining was found in cancerous cases and was restricted to intercellular matrix and vascular endothelial cells. ICAM-1 was more intense in well differentiated carcinomas. sICAM-1 levels were increased in all colon carcinoma before treatment compared to control and were directly proportional to the advancement of clinical stage and tumour pathological grade. sICAM-1 levels were significantly decreased after surgery and chemotherapy. Patients who did not respond to chemotherapy showed progressive increase in sICAM-1 level. Over expression of ICAM-1 might prevent cell-cell disruption and tumour dissemination. The serum level of sICAM-1 correlates well with the clinical stage and pathological grade of the disease and may be used to predict the patient response to treatment. It may be of diagnostic and prognostic significance in colon carcinoma

Interleukin-2 production and expression of interleukin-2 receptor by activated peripheral blood T-lymphocytes in hodgkin's disease

Patients with Hodgkin's disease [HD] often show. T-cell dysfunction irrespective of the stage and grade of the disease. This study investigated the relationship between peripheral blood lymphocytic interleukin-2 [IL-2] production and IL-2 receptor [IL-2R] expression and the clinical stage and pathological type of the disease before and after treatment in patients with Hodgkin's disease. Interleukin-2 production and IL-2R expression were estimated in total of 20 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and 15 apparently healthy individuals of matched age and sex. The patients group was selected to represent the various clinical stages and the different pathological types. There was a statistically significant decrease in IL-2 production [P<0.001] and IL-2R expression [P <0.001] after stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin [PHA] in untreated Hodgkin's lymphoma patients regardless of their clinical stage or pathological type as compared to the normal control group. There were significant decrease in the IL-2R expression and IL-2 production in patients with late clinical stages [III and IV] and pathological types [mixed cellularity and lymphocytic depletion] than in patients with early clinical stages [I and II] and pathological types [lymphocytic predominance and nodular sclerosis]. This may be due to expansion of the malignant cell clones and reduction in normal T cell mass. The improvement in the expression of IL-2R and the production of IL-2 after effective treatment suggests a regression in the mass of malignant cell clones with replacement of normal cell clones. The detection of IL-2 production and IL-2R expression in HD seems to be of some value in clinical management and monitoring of individual patients