الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Background: Breast cancer is estimated to be the most common cancer among females. It is also a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Diagnosis of breast cancer is based upon radiological diagnosis with biopsy and histopathological examination. Yet, no serum markers can be used for early diagnosis. Circulating cell-free nuclear DNA (ccf nDNA) has been found to be released in breast cancer and other tumors. Objective: To assess the role of circulating cell free nuclear DNA in diagnosing breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Real time PCR was used to detect the level of ccf nDNA in the peripheral blood of 25 breast cancer patients together with 15 patients with benign lesions and 10 healthy controls. Laboratory investigations, histopathological staging and receptor studies were carried out for the cancer group. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the performance of ccf nDNA. Results: The levels of ccf nDNA in the cancer group were significantly higher in comparison to the benign and the healthy control group. There was a statistically significant association between ccf nDNA levels and well established prognostic parameters; namely, tumor stage and hormonal receptor status. Conclusions: Our data suggests that ccf nDNA may be used as non-invasive biomarker for early diagnosis of breast cancer. |