A study on possibility of high sensitivity C - reactive protein (hs-CRP) and circulating interluekin-6 (IL-6) as biomarker in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer, the most commonly diagnosed non-cutaneous malignancy in women, is a multifactorial disease with important impact in immune system. Aberrant inflammatory marker, important feature of disease, which has role in both disease and prognosis. The most notably is interleukin-6 pathway which works as the link between inflammation and angiogenesis to malignancy. hs-CRP is a well-known surrogate marker for inflammation, with the newly found prognostic value to detect progression of malignancy. Method(s): This case control study contained two arms. Arm A includes 60 female patients with histologically proven breast cancer who were enrolled from the radiotherapy outpatient department (OPD) of DMCH with known clinical and pathological parameters. Arm B included 60 healthy age-matched females. Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to measure Serum levels of IL-6, and immunonephlometry was used to measure hs-CRP. Result(s): Showed that statistically significant difference in Serum levels of IL-6 among the samples of breast cancer patients compared to healthy control (p<0.05) with breast cancer patient having higher values. Results also showed that statistically significant difference in Serum levels of hs-CRP among the samples of breast cancer patients compared to healthy control (p<0.05) with breast cancer patient having higher values. Strong correlation was found between higher IL-6 levels and increasing tumor size, LN invasion and metastasis. Higher values of hs-CRP also showed strong correlation with larger tumor size, LN invasion and metastasis. An increasing trend of serum IL-6 and hs-CRP was found with higher TNMstage groups. Positive correlation between higher hs-CRP and IL-6 levels (r2=0.585, p<0.001) was found in the study. However, the study failed to show any significant correlation between higher IL-6 and hs-CRP value with regard to patient's HER 2 receptor status(P=0.616), and Steroid receptor status (ER, PR) (P=0.676). Conclusion(s): This study revealed higher IL-6 and hs-CRP levels with disease progression. Therefore IL-6 and hs-CRP levels have the potential to be used as prognostic biomarker for breast cancer patients.