RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Anticancer agents used in chemotherapy for tumors induce apoptosis in malignant cells. Soluble Fas ligand, granzyme B and cytochrome c are key elements in the process of apoptosis. The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the changes in the serum concentrations of these parameters in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty patients with histopathologically proven breast cancer were included in the present study. The blood samples were taken after surgery before chemotherapy and after 3weeks of administration of the first cycle of chemotherapy. Thirty healthy female controls were selected for comparison. Soluble FasL, granzyme B and cytochrome c were estimated from serum by ELISA. RESULTS: Significantly increased concentrations of soluble FasL, granzyme B and cytochrome c were found in stage II and stage III of breast cancer patients after chemotherapy compared with concentrations before chemotherapy (P<0.0001). A significant positive correlation was found between soluble FasL and cytochrome c as well as between granzyme B and cytochrome c in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Serum concentrations of apoptotic markers such as soluble FasL, granzyme B and cytochrome c were increased after administration of the first cycle of chemotherapeutic drugs. The measurement of these circulating apoptotic markers may help clinicians in evaluating treatment efficacy in breast cancer.
