title: The clinical significance of thymidine kinase 1 measurement in serum of breast cancer patients using anti-TK1 antibody.
abstract: The activity of total thymidine kinase in serum (S-TK) has been used as a tumor maker for decades. To date such activity has been determined using [125]I-iodo-deoxyuridine as a substrate. The aim of this study was to develop a new, antibody-based technique for the measurement of cytoplasmic thymidine kinase (TK1) in serum. Both mono- and polyclonal antibodies against S-TK1 were used in dot blot assay. S-TK1 was characterized by SDS and IEF techniques. Sixty-five breast cancer patients were studied, including 17 preoperative and 38 postoperative tumor-free patients and 10 patients with metastases to the lymph nodes (N1-2). They were compared to patients with benign tumors (n=21) and healthy volunteers (n=11). S-TK1 was low (0-1.0 pM) in healthy volunteers, while in preoperative patients the level was increased 6-110-fold. Significant differences were observed between preoperative patients and healthy volunteers (p=0.005), preoperative patients and patients with benign tumors (p<0.001), and preoperative patients and postoperative patients without metastases (p<0.001). No significant difference was observed between preoperative patients and postoperative patients with metastases (p=0.191). The S-TK activity in preoperative patients was also high in serum, but no decrease was observed following surgery. In conclusion, the anti-TK1 antibody could be a good marker for monitoring the response of breast cancer patients to therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Pathology, Medical Radiobiology Section, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Qimin.He@onkpat.ki.se
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J X
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skog
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fornander
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001797:Blood Protein Electrophoresis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007527:Isoenzymes; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; C092717:thymidine kinase 1