From rxpgnews.com
Mammaglobin Blood Test Reliably Detects Breast Cancer Recurrence
By Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis,
Nov 11, 2005 - 12:21:38 AM
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that mammaglobin, a protein secreted by breast tumor cells, can readily be detected in the blood serum of patients with metastatic breast cancer using an inexpensive, reliable clinical test.
"A test for mammaglobin holds significant promise for catching metastatic tumors early," says study co-author Timothy P. Fleming, Ph.D., research associate professor of surgery at the School of Medicine and a researcher with the Siteman Cancer Center. "Compared to the few other known biomarkers linked to breast cancer, mammaglobin is the best. The protein is found in breast tissue and is secreted by most breast tumors."
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, tested 56 women without breast cancer and 26 women with metastatic breast cancer. The women without breast cancer were found to have a steady, low level of mammaglobin in their blood. This baseline level was not affected by age, body mass index, menopausal status, race, smoking history or a family history of breast cancer.
In contrast, the women with metastatic breast cancer had on average much higher readings of mammaglobin than the baseline level, providing the potential to distinguish cancer-free patients from those with recurrent breast tumors.
In addition, about 80 percent of all breast cancers examined, regardless of the type of tumor or stage of development, tested strongly for mammaglobin while normal breast tissue had significantly less mammaglobin. Prostate, colon, lung and ovarian cancer tissues did not test positive for mammaglobin.
This study shows that mammaglobin levels in blood serum can be readily obtained with a test called ELISA, an inexpensive clinical test often used to measure protein levels in fluids.
The test detected even very low concentrations of mammaglobin in blood serum and maintained accuracy over a 1,000-fold increase of mammaglobin concentration. Serum samples subjected to repeated freezing and thawing or stored frozen for a year tested just as effectively as fresh samples, indicating no potential problems with sample storage.
"Originally, we identified the gene that produces mammaglobin because it is activated in breast cancer relative to non-malignant breast cells," says study co-author Watson, associate professor of pathology and immunology and director of the Multiplexed Gene Analysis Core and Tissue Procurement Core at Siteman. "It's exciting to be a part of the research developments surrounding mammaglobin," Fleming says. Next, we are planning to work on high-throughput techniques to test our mammaglobin blood test in a much larger study."
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