title: Expression of Activin During and After Chemotherapy in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Primary Breast Cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Activins are dimeric glycoproteins that play a significant role in reproduction and in endocrine-active tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential correlation between the concentration of activins (activin A, activin B, and activin AB) in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The serum concentration of activins in 30 patients receiving chemotherapy within the German SUCCESS A study was analyzed using different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays at three time points: After primary surgery, but before chemotherapy; 4 weeks after the end of chemotherapy; and 2 years after chemotherapy during recurrence-free follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The activin concentration decreased in all patients after chemotherapy. Premenopausal patients had significantly lower concentrations of activin AB during follow-up than postmenopausal women (p=0.037). Thirteen out of 16 premenopausal patients developed chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) but did not significantly differ in their activin concentrations compared to the other premenopausal women. A positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu status was associated with a significant reduction of activin AB concentration (p=0.02), and trastuzumab treatment correlated with significantly decreased activin A concentration (p=0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serial measurements of activin A concentration might be used for monitoring trastuzumab treatment. A sudden increase of activin concentration could be an early indicator of disease recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany julia.jueckstock@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jueckstock
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum, Donaueschingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blankenstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahner
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Clinic Traunstein, Traunstein, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schindlbeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janni
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rack
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mylonas
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Breast cancer; activin; chemotherapy; chemotherapy-related amenorrhea; inhibin; treatment monitoring