Serum Iron Parameters as Prognostic Markers in Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breasts are an important aspect of a woman's femininity and all aberrations in their functional and cosmetic attributes are essential for scientic evaluation as breast cancer has become the most common cancer among women worldwide. Its risk increases with age and menopausal status. Serum parameters like Ferritin and TIBC concentration is altered in sera of these patients. Iron homeostasis is inuenced by estrogen and overload impacts cellular proliferation and physiological dysfunction in electron and oxygen transport, energy production and DNA synthesis. A vicious cycle between breast cancer, iron homeostasis deregulation, menopausal status and serum parameters derangement enables us to prognosticate such patients. METHOD: Histopathologically conrmed, 50 newly diagnosed cases were analyzed with age matched 50 clinically healthy controls with no family history. Level of serum ferritin was estimated by Sandwich Elisa using Ferritin SAElisa kit and serum TIBC level measured with CL-1000i Chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer. RESULT: Serum ferritin level in breast cancer cases (300.73±25.33ng/ml) was statistically higher than in controls (85.22±41.80ng/ml). In breast cancer, ferritin level was higher in postmenopausal (300.73±25.33ng/ml) compared to premenopausal (228.059±11.24ng/ml) patients and even in their healthy counterparts.Serum TIBC level in breast cancer (772.99±127.93) was higher than in controls (329.41± 69.40).In postmenopausal breast cancer female TIBC level was higher (815.39±104.32) compared to premenopausal females (652.31±110.86) and similarly it was higher in postmenopausal healthy controls than in premenopausal controls and signicant statistically. CONCLUSION: Serum ferritin and TIBC parameters can be used as prognostic markers for breast cancer and their levels are elevated in postmenopausal females of both breast cancer patients and healthy cases.