Determination of a fragment of the c-erbB-2 translational product p185 in serum of breast cancer patients.
Concentrations of a fragment of the c-erbB-2 translational product (p185 fragment) were measured in serum of 70 breast cancer patients, 19 healthy blood donors, and 18 pregnant women using a heterogenic enzyme immunoassay. The serum concentrations of blood donors and pregnant women were below 30 kU/l. Breast cancer patients showed serum concentrations up to 578 kU/l. All 9/70 patients with serum concentrations higher than 30 kU/l had clinical evidence of metastatic disease and the serum levels of all 35/70 patients without metastasis lay within the normal range. From 9/37 patients with p185 overexpression of the primary tumor in immunohistochemical analysis 3/9 patients with metastatic disease had elevated serum levels higher than 30 kU/l. In all, 6/9 patients without metastasis serum levels were below 30 kU/l. The data of the present study suggest that determination of serum p185 fragment concentrations may be useful as a diagnostic tool in postoperative follow-up of breast cancer patients with c-erbB-2 overexpression of the primary tumor.
Kynast
B
B
Abt. Hämatologie Onkologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany.
Binder
L
L
Marx
D
D
Zoll
B
B
Schmoll
H J
HJ
Oellerich
M
M
Schauer
A
A
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D012015:Reference Standards
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases