Evaluation of serum markers in Iraqi patients with breast cancer
TL;DR
The coordinated changes in these markers show that, particularly in women who are not menopausal, breast cancer significantly disrupts bone homeostasis and offers a reliable multifaceted tool to track tumour load and predict skeletal involvement, which may result in more individualised and effective treatment choices.
Abstract
Background/Aim: For women, breast cancer is the leading cause of mortality around the world. In addition to genetic subgroups, the treatment of breast cancer depends on biochemical testing to monitor systemic involvement, particularly in the skeletal system. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between bone metabolic markers and conventional tumour markers in Iraqi patients to establish a "biochemical signature" of disease progression. Methods: Sixty participants were split into two groups for a case-control study: 30 Iraqi women (aged 30-45) with stage I-III breast cancer and 30 age-matched healthy controls. In order to minimise menopausal hormonal changes, all participants were in their reproductive years. Advanced immunoassay (CLIA, ELFA, ELISA) and colorimetric methods were used to measure the serum levels of tumour markers carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3), vitamin D3 (25-OH), parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and calcium (Ca). IBM SPSS v25.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: CEA (80.42 ± 24.14) and CA15-3 (90.75 ± 24.78) levels were significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001). Patients had a severe vitamin D3 deficiency (12.18 ± 5.40) as opposed to healthy individuals (45.32 ± 13.31). On the other hand, PTH and ALP levels were significantly higher in the patient group (p = 0.003). The serum calcium and phosphorus levels were substantially lower (p < 0.001). According to a ROC curve analysis, the AUC for CEA, CA15-3, ALP and PTH was 1,000, indicating full diagnostic accuracy. PTH and ALP were found to have a significant positive relationship (r = 0.995). Conclusions: The information demonstrates a strong correlation between mineral metabolism and oncological markers. The coordinated changes in these markers show that, particularly in women who are not menopausal, breast cancer significantly disrupts bone homeostasis. Concurrent assessment of these traits offers a reliable multifaceted tool to track tumour load and predict skeletal involvement, which may result in more individualised and effective treatment choices.