title: Circulating hTERT DNA in early breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of the study was to quantify the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene in the circulating DNA of patients with primary breast cancer (BC) and to test its correlation with clinical parameters of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-one BC patients, 30 patients with fibroadenoma (NBC) and 50 healthy women were enrolled.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The level of hTERT in the plasma was significantly different in BC, NBC and controls (p<0.01), showing a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 90% in the ability to detect malignancy. The circulating hTERT DNA was significantly different in the estrogen receptor (ER)(+)/progesterone receptor (PgR)(+) compared to the ER(-)/PgR(-) patients (p=0.03). Higher hTERT levels were associated with higher human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2/Neu expression: score 0-1 vs. score 2+ (p=0.01) and vs. score 3+ (p=0.02). Finally, hTERT was significantly inversely correlated with the carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15.3 serum level (p=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Circulating hTERT DNA has a better diagnostic value than CA 15.3 in early breast cancer disease and could be a possible candidate as a tumor marker in patients with infiltrating ductal carcinoma positive to steroid hormonal receptor and with amplification of HER-2/Neu.
authors: Department of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II, Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy. rosadive@inwind.it
authors: Rosa
authors: R
authors: Divella
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Tommasi
authors: Rosanna
authors: R
authors: Lacalamita
authors: Antonella
authors: A
authors: Daniele
authors: Ines
authors: I
authors: Abbate
authors: Vito Michele
authors: VM
authors: Garrisi
authors: Eufemia
authors: E
authors: Savino
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Coviello
authors: Vincenza
authors: V
authors: Rubini
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Simone
authors: Angelo
authors: A
authors: Paradiso
authors: Michele
authors: M
authors: Quaranta
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase