title: Detection of mammaglobin in the sera of patients with breast cancer.
abstract: Current procedures for the diagnosis of breast cancer are cumbersome and invasive, making detection of this disease difficult. A rapid screening test for early detection of breast cancer would allow for better management of this deadly disease. In this report, we show that, with the exception of the skin, mammaglobin mRNA is specifically expressed in mammary tissue and commonly overexpressed in breast cancer. Mammaglobin is not expressed in other types of cancer including colon, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer. Breast-specific expression of mammaglobin protein was shown using immunohistochemical methods. Mammaglobin is secreted from both established breast cancer cell lines and primary breast carcinoma cells cultured in vitro. Using a monoclonal antibody-based assay for monitoring the presence of mammaglobin in serum, elevated levels of mammaglobin were detected in sera of patients with breast cancer, but not in healthy women. Thus, mammaglobin, which is overexpressed and secreted from breast carcinoma cells, is detectable in sera of patients with breast cancer and may provide a rapid screening test for the diagnosis and management of breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Corixa Corporation, Department of Antigen Discovery, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. fanger@corixa.com
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Fanger
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Houghton
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Retter
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hendrickson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Babcook
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Durham
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Persing
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D060785:Mammaglobin A; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D000939:Epitopes; D060785:Mammaglobin A; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C556448:SCGB2A2 protein, human; D012313:RNA; D014598:Uteroglobin