Preclinical warning of recrudescent mammary cancers by pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin.
Nine of 30 mammary cancer patients developed metastases during 13-94 months after mastectomy. All 9 patients had elevated blood levels of pregnancy-associated alpha-macroglobulin (PAM) 1-21 months before conventional detection of metastases. Seven of the clinically well patients had PAM rises exceeding 90 per cent above the baseline and in 4 of these the PAM later fell to lower levels. PAM appears to have potential as an indicator of the growth of micrometastases.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000032:analysis*
D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins