Evaluation of serum PSA levels as a biomarker for breast carcinoma in north Indian females

Abstract

Objective: Breast cancer has emerged as the most common malignancy among females during the last few years. Early diagnosis is essential for disease management so research is underway to identify potential serological bio markers with acceptable sensitivity and specificity. The current study was undertaken to compare the levels of serum PSA in patients with benign breast diseases, carcinoma breast and normal controls. Methods: The study was conducted jointly by the departments of Biochemistry and Surgery. Fifty patients of breast carcinoma were enrolled in the study, along with 50 cases of benign breast disease and 50 healthy controls. Serum PSA levels were estimated by Roche Elecsys modular Cobas e 411(electrochemiluminescence immuno assay) (Manheim Germany). Results: We did not find any significant differences in the PSA levels between normal controls, patients with benign breast disease as well as females presenting with breast carcinoma. No correlation was observed between serum PSA levels with clinical staging as well as histopathological grading. Conclusions: According to previous published studies, tumor levels of PSA are valuable for breast cancer patient prognosis, since patients with PSA positive tumors have much longer disease-free and overall survival. PSA levels in the serum of breast cancer patients are not significantly different from the PSA levels in the serum of normal women. Based on these data we conclude that serum PSA levels are not useful for breast cancer patient diagnosis or monitoring. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v5i4.7800 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences 2014 Vol.5(4); 25-28