Serial analysis of fibronectin concentration in plasma of patients with benign and malignant breast diseases

A.M.EIJÁN,; E.BAL DE KIER JOFFÉ,; L.PURICELLI,; D.ENTÍN,; D.VUOTO,; E.ORLANDO,; E.S.DE LUSTIG

CANCER

JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Año: 1986 vol. 57 p. 1345 - 1349

0008-543X

Cancer. 1986 Apr 1;57(7):1345-9. Serial analysis of fibronectin concentration in plasma of patients with benign and malignant breast diseases. Eiján AM, Puricelli L, Bal de Kier Joffé E, Entin D, Vuoto D, Orlando E,Sacerdote de Lustig E. The serial levels of fibronectin (FNp) in plasma from 65 patients with benign andmalignant breast disease and from 74 healthy control women were assayed by theuse of the rocket immunoelectrophoresis procedure. Mean FNp levels in patientswith breast cancer were age-matched with control subjects, but no clearcorrelation was found between FNp levels and the presence of primary tumor. Mean FNp values for fibroadenoma patients did not differ either from controls or from patients with malignant disease. Patients were also categorized according to TNM classification, to the number of positive axillary nodes, to the histologic gradeof malignancy, and to the presence of estrogen receptors. Although differenceswere not significant, a higher number of patients with levels greater than thenormal 95% percentile were found only in the group with four or more positiveaxillary nodes and in the group with a greater number of histologic malignancies.Marked fluctuations in FNp concentrations were found in individual patientsduring the follow-up period, independently of the treatment received. FNp seemsunsuitable as a tumor marker because, besides its apparent lack of specificityfor cancer, it reflected neither the host-tumor burden nor the response totreatment.  PMID: 3948115 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]