title: Evaluation of CA 15-3 serum levels in breast cancer patients.
abstract: The usefulness of post operative serum CA 15-3 determination was evaluated in a group of 57 breast cancer patients. CA 15-3 was assayed at baseline and every 3 months for a median follow-up of 34 months. Recurrence-free survival probability for patients with elevated serum CA 15-3 levels before surgery was 53.5% versus 88% for patients with normal serum CA 15-3 levels (p < 0.201). In 12 of the 15 patients with increased trend for CA 15-3 during follow-up, elevated CA 15-3 levels preceded (10 patients) coincided (2 patients) with the clinical detection of tumour recurrence, providing a predictive value of an increased trend of 80%. In the group of 10 patients who showed elevated serum CA 15-3 levels prior to the detection of recurrence, the median load-time was 5 months/(range 3-11 months). We concluded that CA 15-3 had prognostic value in breast cancer. Serial determinations of CA 15-3 was consistent with the treatment results.
authors.affiliation: Labolatory of Clinical Analysis, Medical School, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Skrzydlewski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niklinski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiluk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiluk
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Musiatowicz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zaremba
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skrzydlewska
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klepacki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018396:Mucin-1