The value of CA15-3 in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response in women with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of cancer antigen CA15-3 in the diagnosis, prognosis, followup and treatment of breast cancer. METHODS The case-control study was done from October 2009 to February 2011 at the Al-Basrah Hospital in Basrah, Iraq. Blood samples were collected from 30 women with primary breast cancer before the invasive procedure. Another set of blood samples were collected from 23 of the cases after three cycles of chemotherapy. Besides, 20 serum samples were collected from apparently healthy women as a control group from the outpatient department. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was used for detection of serum CA15-3. RESULTS Mean CA15-3 level for the cases (79.15 +/- 27.54 U/ml) was significantly higher than the controls (24.34 +/- 11.68 U/ml) (p < 0.05), with 93.3% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity. There was a significant positive correlation with the disease stage and tumour size ( p < 0.05). After three cycles of chemotherapy, the CA15-3 level significantly decreased ( p < 0.05). Cases who developed recurrence were found to have a significantly higher CA15-3 level than those who did not ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSION CA15-3 is an important diagnostic, prognostic indicator and good predictor for relapse.