ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Although the etiology of breast cancer is multifactorial, oxidative stress plays an important role in carcinogenesis. In this study, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene polymorphism and activity were evaluated in benign and breast cancer tissue. METHODS: One hundred and one females were enrolled in this study, 65 who were histopathologically diagnosed with breast cancer and 46 who were benign patients. MnSOD enzyme activity was determined using an indirect competitive inhibition assay and MnSOD gene polymorphism using poly merase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: MnSOD enzymatic activity (79.83±42.14) was lower in breast cancer tissue compared to benign tumors (236.18±46.37). At the same time, MnSOD enzymatic activity among Ala/Val patients was significantly lower in breast cancer tissue (39.19±7.33) than in Val/Val malignant breast tumors tissue (96.9±22.9). MnSOD enzymatic activity was significantly lower in Val/Val cancer tissue (96.9±22.9) than in benign tissue (255.44±42.7). CONCLUSION: Breast cancer tumors contain less MnSOD than benign breast samples. Patients with Ala/Val polymorphism had reduced MnSOD activity compared to patients with Val/Val breast cancer. Ala/Val gene polymorphism may be a risk factor associated with more advanced breast cancer stage. MnSOD gene polymorphism Ala/Val may be a risk factor associated with more advanced breast cancer stage, and reduction of MnSOD activity may be a mechanism of the progression of benign to malignant tumors. Further investigations are needed to evaluate the role of MnSOD in breast cancer progression.
ABSTRACT
Serum tumor marker CA15-3 is widely used in follow-up for assessment of breast cancer prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels among healthy females and patients, to assess differences with tumor stage and grade, and to determine the relationship with estrogen and progesterone receptor expression. One hundred and thirty six Jordanian females were enrolled in this study: Forty-five were healthy females; seventy-two were diagnosed with breast cancer and nineteen diagnosed with benign breast lesions. Elevated serum CA15-3 level was significantly observed among breast cancer patients (37.95±6.65) compared to both healthy (14.97±0.8) and benign females (12.30±1.55), but no significant association was detected between serum CA15-3 level and age of cancer onset, menarche age, menopause age, parity and BMI. Decreased CA15-3 level was significantly associated with hormone therapy and oral contraceptive consumption among breast cancer patients. Significantly elevated CA15-3 serum levels were found among grade II, III and stage II and III breast cancer females compared to normal healthy females. Elevated CA15-3 serum levels were also found among ER+/PR+ (54.242±7.89) and ER+/PR- (37.08±8.22) compared to healthy control females.
