Age-related variations: A retrospective analysis of 851 prospectively collected patient samples to determine the benefit of combining combinatorial protein biomarker assay for risk assessment in women with dense breast.

Abstract

27 Background: Clinicians often experience difficulty in differentiating benign lesions from invasive breast cancers in patients designated as dense breast. A major limitation of radiological breast cancer screening methods involves a decrease in sensitivity and specificity in women with dense breast. Thus, we sought to test whether Klarify Breast, a combinatorial protein-based biomarker panel could improve early detection of significant breast lesions in a controlled fashion. Clearly, a diagnostic assay that would provide biochemical evidence in the patient’s clinical course is greatly needed. Methods: We have conducted two independent, multi-center, prospective clinical trials to establish the clinical validity of Klarify Breast – an assay that uses multiple Serum Protein Biomarkers (SPBs), Tumor-Associated Autoantibodies (TAAbs), patient specific clinical data and develop a score to differentiate patients with benign breast disease from those with invasive breast cancer. Independent panels of biomarkers and associated algorithms were developed using prospectively collected samples from women under age 50 (n = 351) and from women ages 25-75 (n = 500). Here, we present the benefit of integrating the results of Klarify Breast test with patient imaging to best assess risk in women with dense breast. Results: While performance of the assay was somewhat age dependent (women under the age of 50 demonstrated a higher sensitivity and specificity than women over the age of 50). Here we present data that both groups of women clearly benefit from the addition of a biomarker assay combined with standard of care imaging in identifying invasive breast lesions. Conclusions: Clearly, in women with dense breast, where radiologic studies alone do not permit full assessment in women with a dense breast finding. The biomarker test here, comprised of TAAbs and SPBs, offers a clear advantage in terms of NPV, PPV, Sensitivity and specificity. The results argue strongly for the use of appropriate biomarkers to augment imaging based breast cancer screening in women with dense breast or those who are at high risk. Clinical trial information: NCT01839045, NCT02078570.