Human serum fatty acid binding protein as a prognostic factor in non-metastatic breast cancer patients: disappointing findings

Abstract

Objective: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. It would be of great value to have reliable prognostic factors that could help to find patients with highest risk of recurrence. Fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) is recognized to affect insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism, and an inflammatory response associated with atherosclerosis. Circulating A-FABP could be involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. In this study, we analyzed serum A-FABP levels in breast cancer patients to evaluate its function as a prognostic factor in breast cancer. Patients and Methods: Seventy-nine breast cancer patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria enrolled in the study. Before any adjuvant chemotherapy or surgery, peripheral blood samples were collected and serum level of A-FABP was determined by using ELISA kit. The usual breast cancer clinical and pathological variables were also collected. All patients were followed up for 5 years particularly regarding cancer recurrence and patients’ survival rate. Results: Forty-two percent of the patients experienced no recurrence after five years. Cumulative risk of recurrence 5 years after the beginning of the study was 0.86. There was no significant correlation between serum level of A-FABP and recurrence rate in 5 years (p=0.925). The mean serum level of A-FABP was not significantly correlated with conventional prognostic factors in breast cancer. Conclusions: According to the results, the serum levels of A-FABP had no role in prognostic role in breast cancer.

Keywords

• a-fabp
• prognostic factor
• breast cancer