Background: Benign and malignant breast tumors are the most commonly diagnosed tumor in females. Early and accurate diagnosis of malignancy is essential for effective breast cancer treatment. Human anterior gradient 3 (AGR3) has been suggested as a potential biomarker for the early detection and prognostic determination of breast cancer.
Objective: This study profiles AGR3 mRNA expression and serum protein levels in patients with benign and malignant breast tumors.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 40 benign and 40 malignant breast tumor patients in Makassar, Indonesia. AGR3 mRNA and protein were detected using qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively.
Results: This study found significantly higher AGR3 mRNA expression in benign than malignant breast tumors using qRT-PCR (p < 0.001). In contrast, ELISA revealed no significant difference between AGR3 serum protein levels in benign and malignant breast tumors (p = 0.507).
Conclusions: AGR3 is associated with non-aggressive tumors and could be used as a marker for less aggressive breast tumors.
Keywords: Anterior gradient 3 (AGR3); biomarker; breast tumors; mRNA expression; serum levels.