Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha and C-reactive protein increase in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is now the second most commonly cancer diagnosed in women and remains the leading cause of cancer death among females in less developed countries. Inflammation molecules liked C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) are suspected to be involved in breast carcinogenesis, The objective of this study was to determine the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha and C-reactive protein in breast cancer patients. Methods: A case-control study was carried out involving 36 confirmed breast cancer patients within the ages of 45-60 years attending General Hospital Owerri and 36 apparently non breast cancer within the ages of 45-60 years served as control. Tumor necrosis factor alpha and CRP were determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent method. An independent students t- test was used to analyse the data. Results: The serum levels of TNF-α and CRP in breast cancer patients were significantly raised when compared with the control. Conclusion: Tumor necrosis factor alpha and high sensitivity C-reactive protein may be beneficial for diagnosis of breast cancer.

Keywords

• Tumor necrosis factor alpha
• CRP
• Breast cancer
• Owerri