Serum levels of cancer antigen 15-3 (ca 15-3)‎ and muc1 568 ag gene polymorphism in patients with breast cancer

الملخص EN

Introduction : breast cancer is one of the most important leading causes of death.

Circulating protein biomarkers are secreted by tumor cells or by their surrounding cells and they have a variable specificity.

CA 15-3 is a main, namely MUC1 antigen, which play an important role in carcinogenesis and tumor invasion.

Aim of the work : to estimate and evaluate the prognostic value of serum level of CA 15-3 in patients with primary breast cancer.

Also, to investigate whether MUC1 568 G / A polymorphism can influence CA 15-3 levels in these patients.

Patients and methods : CA 15- 3 was measured in 15 healthy controls, and 40 women who were selected from General Surgery Clinic and South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University Hospital.

They were divided into : 15 cases with benign disease, 15 cases with breast cancer and 10 cases after surgical removal for follow up period about 12 months.

All subjects were genotyped for the MUC1 568 A / G polymorphism using PCR and specific primers.

Circulating CA 15-3, estrogen and progesterone receptors were measured in all participants.

Results: there was significant increase serum level of CA 15-3 in breast cancer patients than controls and other groups (P < 0.001 for each).

There was positive correlation between CA 15-3 and patients with large tumor size as well as in those with node-positive tumor and those with positive estrogen receptors.

There was a significant difference of CA 15-3 levels according to the MUC1 568 genotype between different groups (P < 0.001 for each) with maximum rise in breast cancer group (P < 0.001).

In conclusion: CA 15-3 antigen could be used as an additional prognostic marker that used for monitoring treatment and recurrence of invasive breast cancer.

The MUC1 568 A / G polymorphism strongly influences CA 15-3 levels in different groups of breast cancer patients and can be used for follow up of those patients.