Comparison of serum levels of CEA and CA 15–3 in triple-negative breast cancer at the time of metastases and serum levels at the time of first diagnosis

Abstract

e12017 Background: Cancer antigen 15–3 (CA 15–3) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), are often used in follow up care of breast cancer and provide important clues to the clinicians for disease progression in metastatic and recurrent breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancers are frequently defined as a single group identifiable using routine clinical tests. They are negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), the so-called triple-negative breast cancers. In this study we compared the tumor markers of triple negative breast cancer and non-triple negative patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed serum CEA and CA 15–3 levels of both triple negative and non-triple negative breast cancer patients at the time of first diagnosis and when they developed metastatic disease. Results: 544 consecutive nonmetastatic breast cancer patients presenting at Hacettepe University Institute of Oncology, Ankara, Turkey, with a median age of 49 were evaluated. 15.1% of the patients were triple negative breast cancer. At the time of diagnosis triple negative group had lower serum CEA (2.5 ± 5.9 vs 4.0 ±16.4 p = 0.35) and CA 15–3 (23.7 ± 14.6 vs 37.1 ± 117; p = 0.021) levels compared to non-triple negative group. In patients who developed metastasis during follow up; the CEA (3.2 ± 3.8 vs 29.6 ± 106.4 p = 0.022) and CA15–3 (46.9 ± 46.3 vs 203.2 ± 534 p = 0.008) levels were also significantly lower in triple negative breast cancer group compared to non-triple negative group.In non-triple negative breast cancer patients who developed metastasis, mean serum levels of CEA and CA15–3 significantly increased compared to baseline, whereas in triple negative group who developed metastasis CEA and CA 15–3 levels did not differ significantly. Conclusions: While being a good laboratory parameter in the follow-up of patients with breast cancer metastases, tumor markers may not show the increased tumor burden in the triple-negative breast cancer patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.