Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the primary cause of mortality due to cancer in females around the world. Fetuin-A is known to increase metastases over signals and peroxisomes related with growing. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL) takes part in cell adhesion, and RANKL inhibition is used in the management of cancer. We aimed to examine the relationship between serum fetuin-A, RANKL levels, other laboratory parameters and clinical findings in women diagnosed with early stage BC, in our population.
Methods: Women having early stage BC (n=117) met our study inclusion criteria as they had no any anti-cancer therapy before. Thirty-seven healthy women controls were also confirmed with breast examination and ultrasonography and/or mammography according to their ages. Serum samples were stored at -80°C and analysed via ELISA.
Results: Median age of the patients was 53 (range: 57-86) while it was 47 (range: 23-74) in the healthy group. Patients had lower high-density lipoprotein levels (p=0.002) and higher neutrophil counts (p=0.014). Fetuin-A and RANKL levels did not differ between the groups (p=0.116 and p=0.439, respectively) but RANKL leves were found to be lower in the favorable histological subtypes (p=0.04).
Conclusions: In this study, we found no correlation between serum fetuin-A levels and clinical findings in patients diagnosed with early stage BC. However, RANKL levels are found to be lower in subgroups with favorable histopathologic subtypes such as tubular, papillary and mucinous BC and there was statistically significant difference.
Uvod: Rak dojke (BC) je primarni uzrok smrtnosti od raka kod žena širom sveta. Poznato je da fetuin-A povećava metastaze u odnosu na signale i peroksizome povezane sa rastom. Receptorski aktivator liganda nuklearnog faktora-kB (RANKL) učestvuje u ćelijskoj adheziji, a RANKL inhibicija se koristi u lečenju kancera. Cilj NAM je bio da ispitamo odnos između serumskog fetuina-A, nivoa RANKL, drugih laboratorijskih parametara i kliničkih nalaza kod žena sa dijagnozom ranog stadijuma BC, u našoj populaciji.
Metode: Žene sa ranim stadijumom BC (n=117) ispunjavale su kriterijume za uključivanje u našu studiju pošto ranije nisu imale nikakvu terapiju protiv raka. Kontrola 37 zdravih žena je takođe potvrđena pregledom dojki i ultrasonografijom i/ili mamografijom u skladu sa njihovim godinama. Uzorci seruma su čuvani na -80 °C i analizirani pomoću ELISA.
Rezultati: Srednja starost pacijenata bila je 53 godine (raspon: 57-86) dok je u zdravoj grupi bila 47 (raspon: 23-74). Pacijenti su imali niži nivo lipoproteina visoke gustine (p=0,002) i veći broj neutrofila (p=0,014). Nivoi fetuina-A i RANKL nisu se razlikovali između grupa (p=0,116 i p=0,439, respektivno), ali je utvrđeno da su nivoi RANKL niži kod povoljnih histoloških podtipova (p=0,04).
Zaključak: U ovoj studiji nismo pronašli korelaciju između nivoa fetuina-A u serumu i kliničkih nalaza kod pacijenata sa dijagnozom ranog stadijuma BC. Međutim, utvrđeno je da su nivoi RANKL niži u podgrupama sa povoljnim histopatološkim podtipovima kao što su tubularni, papilarni i mucinozni BC i postojala je statistički značajna razlika.
Keywords: RANKL; breast cancer; fetuin-A; serum.
2023 Cigdem Usul Afsar, Hale Aral, Orçun Can, Trabulus Didem Can, Didem Karacetin, Nazlı Mehmet Ali, Gursu Rıza Umar, Senem Karabulut, published by CEON/CEES.