title: Serum thymidine kinase 1 levels predict cancer-free survival following neoadjuvant, surgical and adjuvant treatment of patients with locally advanced breast cancer.
abstract: In this study, the use of serum thymidine kinase 1 protein (STK1p) concentration for the prognosis of the overall survival of patients with locally advanced breast cancer (n=51) following routine treatment (neoadjuvant treatment, surgery and chemotherapy) was investigated. The patients were followed up for 44 months and the STK1p values were determined by a high-sensitivity enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) dot blot assay. The variables investigated in relation to metastasis and survival were STK1p, clinical stage, tumor size and age, by the Kaplan-Meier method, the log-rank test and Cox uni- and multivariate analyses. Patients with high STK1p values (≥2.0 pM) 3-6 months after surgery exhibited a positive correlation to clinical stage, tumor size, occurrence of metastasis and survival. The hazard risk for the development of metastatic disease and mortality among breast cancer patients was 11-12 times higher in patients with high compared to those with low STK1p values (<2.0 pM). Notably, patients with stage III/IV disease and low STK1p values exhibited statistically significantly improved survival compared to patients with high STK1p values. A multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that the STK1p levels 6 months after surgery was the only independent prognostic factor for metastasis and survival. In conclusion, STK1p is a prognostic marker in patients with locally advanced breast cancer and it may help identify a subgroup of stage III/IV patients with improved cancer-free survival expectancy, enabling personalized treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Feiyu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Sino-Swedish Molecular Bio-Medicine Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guozhu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Sino-Swedish Molecular Bio-Medicine Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Sino-Swedish Molecular Bio-Medicine Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Uppland, Sweden.
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Sino-Swedish Molecular Bio-Medicine Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skog
keywords: breast cancer; serum; survival; thymidine kinase 1