title: Correlation between c-erbB2 expression, lymphovascular invasion and other biological and clinical prognostic factors and preoperative tumor markers in patients with early-stage and locally advanced breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the correlation between c-erbB2 expression, lymphovascular invasion and other biological and clinical prognostic variables and preoperative CA 15-3 and CEA levels in patients with early-stage and locally advanced breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Preoperative serum concentrations of CA 15- 3 and CEA were measured in 123 patients undergoing surgical treatment for stage I-III breast cancer and the association between these markers and clinical and biological variables were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With cut-off values of 45 U/ml (CA 15-3) and 2.5 ng/ml (CEA), the sensitivity for CA 15-3 and CEA was 10% and 24% and their mean values were 23 U/ml and 2.32 ng/ml, respectively. A significant correlation between preoperative levels of CA 15-3 and CEA was noticed (p=0.023). Preoperative CA 15-3 levels were significantly higher in patients with tumors > 5 cm (p<0.0001), with positive axillary lymph nodes (p=0.04), with increasing nodal burden (p= 0.025) and in patients with stage III disease (p=0.003). Tumor size >5 cm (p=0.002), increasing axillary nodal burden (p=0.02) and stage III disease (p<0.0001) were also significantly correlated with CEA values above the cut-off level. There were no correlations between CA 15-3 and CEA levels and other variables including c-erbB2 expression, age, grade, hormone receptor status, and lymphovascular invasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative CA 15-3 and CEA levels are significantly correlated with tumor size, axillary nodal status and stage in patients with non-metastatic breast carcinoma. No correlation between preoperative values of CA15-3/CEA and c-erbB2 status, lymphovascular invasion and other prognostic factors was detected.
authors.affiliation: Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology, Kocaeli, Turkey. aksugorkem@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aksu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gurbuz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ercin
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Canturk
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Utkan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dulger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D018396:Mucin-1; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases